Durban — The release of a recent study has encouraged an author to change the narrative with his book on mental health.
The study revealed that more than a quarter of South Africans are grappling with higher rates of probable depression and anxiety than ever before.
The findings and the effect that adverse mental health has on society do not discriminate based on age, race, or socio-economic standing.
As the mental health crisis reaches unprecedented levels, the urgency for support and awareness needs to be brought to the forefront.
Many South Africans are unable to get quality mental health care and assistance, but this needs to change.
According to a separate study conducted by Unicef South Africa, 73% of children and youth require mental health assistance.
Another 38% have actively sought help but failed to find adequate treatment.
Keegan O’Connell, 38, a local author, hopes to change this narrative with his book, A Combustible Life and an initiative to raise funds for those who do not have access to the necessary care.
Through his own experiences, O’Connell offers insight into living with a debilitating mental illness.
His book, which is raw and authentic, sheds light on the often misunderstood world of mental health.
An extract from his author page on Takealot and Amazon:
“In my late 20s, I was hospitalised in a psychiatric unit in Oranjezicht, Cape Town, after a deep dive into the melancholic desperation and loss of hope that depression brings. My treatment involved 12 electro-convulsive therapy sessions and experimentation with combinations of medications. During a temporary discharge, I hit rock bottom, sitting in a car outside a hardware store a short drive from the hospital, trying to pluck up the courage to go inside and buy a hosepipe, so I could gas myself in my garage. I was too cowardly to get out of the car but too strong to be so terribly selfish to my loved ones.”
Fourteen months later, O’Connell recovered despite trying circumstances in which he had to sell his car to cover medical expenses.
When he returned to his hometown, Durban, he was able to rebuild a fulfilling life. A few years later and Covid-19 put paid to the progress he had made. Feelings of loneliness combined with drinking to excess saw his mental state deteriorate.
“My dad suddenly passed away, and my loneliness was replaced by anger at the world as I watched my mom’s heartbreak over and over again. In relative despair, I decided it was time to tell my story as an escape from circumstance and in an effort to spread mental health awareness,” O’Connell said.
“This book, in absolute honest terms, chronicles my journey, including times of wild excitement, lack of responsibility, desperate attempts at finding love through promiscuity, real love, comradery, confusion, commitment, guilt, paranoia, and some outrageous tales that friends describe as ‘could only ever happen to Keegan’. I hope to change some opinions and help people in the way that I have been helped by those who matter.”
In terms of the initiative to raise funds for those who do not have access to the necessary care, O’Connell said he was looking for care centres or mental health departments at government hospitals that could use financial assistance or counselling programs.
“I would like to get involved personally in addition to raising money, but I haven't been successful in actually finding programs that can benefit,” O’Connell said.
There is a lot that O’Connell does to keep his head above water.
“Day-to-day work-wise, I do freelance writing for a company called The Urban Writers. My role is as a ghostwriter, mainly for books that are published on Amazon. It's not exactly what I want to be doing, and the pay isn't great, but it is something for now to make ends meet,” O’Connell said.
“Ultimately I would like to be an investigative journalist and I apply for those types of jobs regularly. One of those is a paid internship at East Coast Radio here in KZN. I'm waiting to hear back from them.
“Otherwise, some days are a struggle, where it is difficult to accomplish anything because I am overcome with unfounded sadness, which is the nature of depression. I do think of suicide on the dark days but I have family around me that are there to help.
“There are good days too and on those days I do feel optimistic that I can get to a point where I feel some sort of fulfilment, and this possible initiative is a way to do that by helping people.
“I do a lot of running, and often I have to force myself to get out there, but overall it is a good thing for my mental health to keep fit,” O’Connell said.
Pieter Cilliers, O’Connell’s psychiatrist, says the book is an account of “a Durban boy that courageously fights to live with and not suffer from his mental illness.”
He adds: “Keegan’s story of his life and struggle with mental illness is written in his own fresh style.”
As Mental Health Awareness Month in October approaches, O’Connell plans to use the opportunity to start spreading awareness and seeking out individuals and institutions that could benefit from donations.
To accomplish these goals, O’Connell intends to run 31 marathons in 31 days in January 2024. With the benefit of a platform backed by corporates and medical aids, he feels that there is so much good that can come from the endeavour.
He hopes to inspire others to join the cause and positively impact the lives of people battling mental illness.
A Combustible Life is available on Takealot and Amazon.
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