Cape Town based DJ Chad "Skouers" Chitter says singer Craig Lucas gave him the courage to speak out about his depression.
"I don’t care who is going to judge me, but this is who I am, I’m Chad Chitter and I
suffer from depression," he told the Daily Voice this week.
Like Craig, Chad, 31, was diagnosed with depression, but felt it was something he had to keep to himself.
But the more he bottled his feelings, the worse he felt.
In fact, says Chad, he didn’t even realise he had depression until he went to his doctor last week.
Chad, 31, from Strandfontein, shot to fame in 2018 with his popular dashboard video social media posts.
His name comes from telling his female fans, “Ladies, skud your skouers [shake your shoulder]".
On Friday evening, Chad went live on Instagram to tell people about his depression, which he hopes in turn will help fellow sufferers.
"I knew coming out like this was not going to be an easy thing, but I also knew there are people that might suffer from the same sickness. The video was made to create awareness," says Chad.
"I went to see a doctor and I spoke about what I’m facing and how I’m feeling. By opening up to my doctor and summarising all those emotions, I was diagnosed with depression."
When Craig went onto social media to come out as a gay man, he said he’d been suffering from depression for a number of years, reasons which included his dad committing suicide and him hiding his sexual orientation.
Chad says the reason why he became “overwhelmed” by it all was his constant need to always be on top and make people laugh.
"I felt anxious about what people have to say about me and what I do," he admits.
"People’s views about me are important to me because I’m an entertainer, so it’s always about raising the bar to make people listen to you and watch your stuff."
"I started withdrawing myself, I had weight loss due to stress, I was not eating and I had suicidal thoughts.
"Like Craig, I also had this whole build-up of anxiety and withholding things."
Chad says he is on medication and receiving counselling.
"I don’t want people to feel sorry for me but I just want to make it known that I’m dealing with this," he says.
'When I’m performing, all depression and negativity go away for that time, if I could perform all day every day to escape the feeling, I would."