Depression: Breaking Cultural Taboos

I am depressed. It is the first time I say it, either to myself or to the world. I have been in and out depression for ten years now, and just last week, I was trying to get out of what I call today, an episode.

I never knew I was depressed. It may sound stupid for someone battling depression for ten years now, but that is the truth. I was moody because I am lunatic, I was stupid because I was very sad and crying for no reason, and I was lazy because I could not get out of my bed to go to school or to work for weeks.

It is cliché, but until recently, I thought black people could not be depressed. It was a white people/rich people whim. Black people in general and African people in particular had too much to deal with to afford to be depressed. Plus, no one would have understood if I tried to explain. It is not in our culture to talk about feelings and sensations.

So, I was not depressed, I was only being stupid.

I started realizing my condition through social media and blogs. African young woman dare to talk more and more about silenced issues and taboos. Some of them share their experience and are not afraid to say to the world “I am depressed, and it is not awkward for a human being, no matter the race and social status to be depressed.” I am learning from them.

I am lucky I have access to platforms making it easy for me to break taboos, but how about those who don’t? How about the thousands of women out there who are not aware of their condition (depression, sterility, social status…) because of cultural taboos?

—AMC