Mental health has no gender

In their books, Michelle Kekana and Marion Scher confront mental health issues through women's, queers' and men's stories

- Rolland Simpi Motaung

Mental health challenges everyone, regardless of gender identity.

It is a universal human experience that transcends demographics. Whether it's depression, anxiety, or other disorders, it can feel like a persistent shadow that never fades. People often find themselves trapped by their own thoughts and emotions, weighed down by unresolved traumas.

Out of a desire to explore the struggles of black women and queer individuals struggling with mental health issues, Michelle Kekana penned The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women.

"The inspiration for the book is my personal battle with depression," the debut author tells me during an interview.

Growing up, Kekana read a lot of books, which was her compass of choice in navigating the world. But young Kekana rarely found books that related to the mental and emotional struggles she was going through as a teenager.

"I did not come across literature that dealt with the howling sadness that depression brought. So, a person like me just had no language to navigate the chaos.

"I wrote this book for 12-year-old Michelle, to give her the language. This book is essentially a creation of things I wish existed."

Though women tend to seek help, most men are uncomfortable getting support for their mental health challenges. In her latest book, Men & Mental Health: Shattering the Silence, award-winning mental health journalist and author Marion Scher aimed to explore their psychological struggles.

Scher's passion for writing on mental wellness stretches over three decades but she hasn't done a book specifically on men, until now.

She has always found it easy to find women to tell their stories — but not men: "Mental health professionals, such as psychiatrists and psychologists, see 90% women and 10% men which in itself tells a story.

"As with all my books, my inspiration is always to start conversations around the topic — in this case men and mental health," Scher says.