Misdiagnosis of mental health disorders do happen more often than not in the medical field, although never intentionally.

Having been misdiagnosed himself, Dr Neo Molapisi says the greatest challenge with misdiagnosis is not being given the correct treatment. This in his view can aggravate the ongoing condition or delay recovery and remission.

Dr Molapisi who is a survivor of depression says it takes a great deal of experience and attention to detail to give a mental disorder a specific name and treat it accordingly.

This is often caused by the subtle difference of most mental health conditions.

As a result of stigma associated with most diagnoses of mental illnesses a wrong diagnosis means that one runs the risk of carrying a label for something they don’t suffer from.

He reckons a strong support system is critical in the survival journey of a person going through depression. A supportive family and social circle makes all the difference.

“Family should provide a warm and welcoming space where one debriefs and declutters their mind, away from the noise of the world,” Dr Molapisi says. A good employer is a must have for someone with depression. He believes that any workplace comes with its own pressures, and for someone who suffers from depression, this can be a trigger. He experienced this first hand in South Africa when some colleagues and one of his “bosses” stigmatised him.

Luckily for him, at the time he was not easily moved emotionally and mentally by what was happening around him. “I like to refer to myself as being thick skinned,” he says.

Dr Molapisi, a medical practitioner by profession hopes to soon give talks to various organisations on mental health using both his experience as a depression survivor and a clinician.

He has since written a book on his journey with depression that he hopes to publish before the end of next year. “What was meant to kill me made me very strong indeed!” Being a doctor played a huge role in him understanding and dealing with depression.

“This is one condition that is difficult to live with, but knowing what is actually going on, what to avoid, what to do to feel better made all the difference,” he says.

For example, he learned that suicidal ideation was a common theme with this disorder, and quickly accepted that he did not experience it intentionally and as such never had any suicidal intent. It helped because he also understood all the medications prescribed and used them accordingly. “For the medically untrained individual I would recommend selfeducation online. There are so many

resources on the internet.

“I survived depression because of total avoidance of substances when I was sick. Had I resorted to the use of drugs and alcohol, which is a known depressant, I probably could have taken too long to recover or even had treatment failure,” he says.

Depression is a mental disorder characterised by low mood and loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed. Patients often have a depressed mood, diminished interest or loss of pleasure in almost all activities.

Significant weight loss or appetite, sleep disturbance, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, diminished ability to think or concentrate; indecisiveness, recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of adults who experienced any symptoms of depression was highest

among those aged 18 to 29, followed by those aged 45 to 64 and 65 and over and lastly, by those aged 30 to 44.

Women were more likely than men to experience mild, moderate, or severe symptoms of depression.

Dr Molapisi is currently working with local youth and supported by the Masunga DHMT to host a wellness day in Mapoka in the North East district where he hails from.

The event will be the first of its kind in his home village. Members of the community will be screened for different conditions including, diabetes, hypertension and HIV.

Organisers are also expected to give health talks on mental health, cancer, weight management and diet and answer questions on health related matters. There will also be a free condom demonstration and distribution exercise.

The plan is to make the event an annual event, if they secure sponsors and partners.