Mental health illness is real. These are the words of media personality Somizi Mhlongo who has admitted to also being affected by regular episodes of depression.
On Thursday, the media personality said he battles with depression and when he is down, he prays and tries to prevent the monster from taking his shine.
Somizi made this revelation of his mental health in one of his bathroom talks on Instagram on Thursday.
Being Mental Health Awareness Month in South Africa, Somizi's bathroom talk has come at the right time for many of his fans who battle with anxiety, depression and sadness, which he said creeps up on him at any time.
According to the Department of Health, more than 400 million people worldwide suffer from mental or neurological disorders which also includes psycho-social challenges such as alcohol and drug abuse.
The South African College of Applied Psychology (Sacap) report indicates that one in six South Africans suffer from anxiety, depression or substance abuse. This is also according to the research done by the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag).
Dr Eugene Allers, a leading South African psychiatrist and former president of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (Sasop)said mental health problems are escalated in victims of crime and motor vehicle accidents with up to six million South Africans believed to be affected by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Somizi did not share the cause of his mental health problems but he it affects him as much as it does ordinary South Africans, adding that he suffers episodes of depression, sadness and anxiety which threatens his daily life.
"... these episodes creep in even when you are at your highest. Today for me was one of those days. That should show you that this condition does not choose race or gender or status. Right now I am dismantling the mental health of its power. Recognise, don't deny it and also do not glorify it but do something about it," he said.
Somizi said people should not ignore their mental health and should recognise problems as soon as they can.
" The Somizis of this world also have these episodes when they are sad, stressed and depressed. Sometimes you do not know why you are sad or depressed. My brother and my sister, there will always be a solution though it may seem as if there is no solution. It is better to fight this monster than not to fight it.
“Do not feed the monster by saying I am done. Tomorrow is a better day and I wish you a better day. I am not in denial of how I feel but I am not going to allow depression and mental health to take my shine," he said.
“This condition doesn’t choose your financial status, doesn’t choose race, gender, sexuality when it’s attacking; it’s attacking. What I’m doing now is dismantling it of the power that it thinks it has by talking about it,” he said.
He said the best way to overcome mental health was to recognise it and try to overcome and conquer it as it may eat you up and spit you out if it goes undetected and untreated.
“Now that I can recognise it, don’t deny it, but don’t glorify it. Recognise it and say, ‘I see you and I’m going to do something about it’,” Somizi added.
Allers said only 27% of South Africans reporting severe mental illness received treatment adding that this meant nearly three-quarters of those suffering from it were unable to access any form of mental health care.