Has battled bipolar disorder all her life. But she has found antidotes to despair

or poor you are. When it decides to strike, it strikes with impunity. I can’t do anything when that happens, just exist, in an abyss of sadness, waiting the desperation out.

Now, here’s a funny thing, I’ve been fighting this illness all my life. I’ve written a book, given countless talks and interviews about living with the condition, but still, when I get depressed, I get that awkward feeling where I wish I had a “physical, more worthy” illness. I still wish I could say, “I can’t come to the parent teachers’ meeting because I have . . . flu.”

Because flu is regarded as a legitimate illness. You can see flu, like the way you can see the cast on a broken arm. And in the world in which we live, we require concrete evidence of everything; love, wealth, beauty, and yes, illness. If we don’t have evidence we struggle to believe. When we don’t believe, we struggle to care.

And yes, we still struggle to care for our mentally ill. We still think mental illness is the “playplay” sickness. For most people saying, “I can’t come to work because I’m depressed,” could mean losing a job, medical aid cover or the faith of a family.