Men & Mental Health – Shattering the Silence

• Men in SA are four times as likely to commit suicide than women, but most calls to SADAG’s helpline are from women – men don’t talk about depression, and they don’t seek help.
• Discusses the unique challenges men face, such as societal expectations, masculinity norms and emotional suppression.
• Addresses the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and encourages open conversations with health professionals and loved ones.
• Features case studies with well-known SA men including: Chad le Clos, Swys de Bruin, Thabo Xaba, David Kramer, Robbi Kempson and many others from all walks of life.
• Veteran journalist Marion Scher has written in a straightforward, no-nonsense style that will resonate with men from all backgrounds.
• Marion Scher is a well-known SA mental health journalist and has done pro bono work for SADAG for over 30 years.

THE BOOK

This book describes the anguish of men battling with mental health issues and reflections from the people who treat them. Marion Scher weaves together the stories of South African men who have confronted their mental health issues with the stories the doctors who treat them have to tell. It gives practical guidance on where men (and their friends and families) can turn for help in overcoming the ever-increasing scourge of mental illness in our society.

THE AUTHOR

Marion Scher, award-winning journalist, author and media consultant, has written much about mental health over the last 28 years. She received a Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship from the Carter Center in Atlanta in 2005 which enabled her to write Surfacing – people coping with depression and mental illness in 2021. She is also the author of Big Bully – an epidemic of unkindness, and has ghost-written numerous books for a range of clients. As media consultant to SADAG, she is honoured to have been part of the movement to reach out through the South African media to enhance Rosalynn Carter’s dream of helping to break the stigma of mental health.