In a previous life I did a year of psychology at Wits, while getting a BA degree. Yet I don’t remember a word of it. Nor did I learn anything I can recall benefitted me in dealing with life, post university.

I am now writing a book on depression and am experiencing déjà vu as I read reams of complex academic explanations on how the brain processes and uses information leading to incidences of depression; nothing sticks.

I’m not being pejorative in my opinion of academia … all I’m trying to convey is how foreign it all seems to be, to real life. I’m sure my brain follows all the patterns described in their treatises; but how can I use that practically in my daily interactions?

For instance, interactional psychotherapists believe depression is relational and emotional starvation. And from a polyvagal theory, depression can be thought of as an, ‘always off’ survival response, rather than a disease.

However, I just find depression an illogical and horrible feeling when it strikes. I’m not a bad person by anybody’s standards, but suddenly my brain starts telling me I’m useless, an imposter, a fake and a thousand other disgusting things.

How does me convincing myself it is only relational and emotional starvation do anything to ease the hate I suddenly feel for myself? Or should I simply switch on my survival response and everything will be alright?

Before drowning in academic definitions, (and these are only two of many), my position on depression is simple. You don’t have to know which rock starts an avalanche to deal with the avalanche. If you suffer from depression (even though it would be nice to know why you do), isn’t it far more important to find out how you can get rid of it? Permanently, if possible?

A long time ago, I suffered a serious, depressive episode. It was not long after I had written the best-selling book in South Africa at the time and I should have been ecstatic and overjoyed. Instead, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. Somehow, I got my internal wiring in a mess and ended up despising myself.

Fortunately, after some suicide ideation, (wanting to kill myself but only thinking about it) I eventually got myself sorted. Without once consulting academia.

Because I’m writing a book on depression, I thought it would be a good idea to go and interview the people at SADAG, (South African Depression and Anxiety Group). There, among others, I met the lovely Cassey Chambers, who runs SADAG. Upon telling her about my book and some of the angles I was pursuing, she suggested I give a talk to her counsellors.

‘But I’m not a psychologist…’ I protested. ‘Great,’ she said, ‘we find people respond better to normal everyday people than to highly qualified academics because they can’t relate to them.’

When I first started writing the book, I never listed the topic with my friends and acquaintances as something I was working on. I didn’t want to get into long discussions why I was writing it. But one night I mentioned I was doing a book on depression to a friend in a pub. Immediately everyone in earshot suddenly wanted to talk to me.

Stupidly I thought they wanted my opinion. Far from it. Without exception, they all wanted to tell me their story. It was a complete eye-opener.

Since then, I mention the book to people I meet and each time it is the same thing. Everybody has a story. And from the stories I learn a lot more than my daily grind through academia.

SADAG gets 3 000+ calls a day. If you consider not everyone knows about them or has the confidence to call a stranger to seek assistance; the number of callers could be a lot higher.

The fact that it is estimated 300 million people around the world suffer from depression and 700 000 people commit suicide every year shows just how serious a problem it is.

People who suffer from depression do not good employees make. Anything that can be done to alleviate the impact it has on their lives should become a top priority for employers, (and everybody else).

Not talking about it, one of the biggest obstacles to people seeking help, can be rectified by going public in the workplace and acknowledging its seriousness.

My story – in the form of a talk – and research will go a long way to normalising the situation and giving people hope.