Johannesburg – As a young girl, Samke Ngcobo, who suffers from bipolar disorder, was dismissed as a “demon” and told that she was “bewitched”.
At the age of 14, after being diagnosed by a psychologist and psychiatrist, she vowed to study medicine to help dispel cultural and religious stigmas about the disorder.
Bipolar is a disorder associated with episodes of mood swings, ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.
“When I saw the intervention and improvement in my own life, it fostered an interest to be active in mental health awareness as I saw how the quality of life can be improved.”
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Born in Durban, Ngcobo settled in Joburg in 2013, where she now specialises as a medical doctor with an interest in mental health.
She has been in clinical practice for the past 10 years.
The 34-year-old said she penned her thoughts and lived experience in a book – Reflections of a Convoluted Mind: A journey with My Mental Illness – which was published last year after she suffered her most severe breakdown.
She said she has had to live and cope with the condition for years, but she learnt that relapses do happen. “I was behaving in a way that was concerning to my family. A turning point was about a year ago and it happened in public.”
She had to be admitted to a public health facility immediately.
“I got to see the life of a mental healthcare user; it was an unpleasant experience. When I relapsed, the reaction I got was devastating. I was misunderstood, I felt lonely.
I was becoming defiant because of the disease. I was overcome with shame and embarrassment. I felt like my life was over.”
But she said if it had not happened, the activist in her would not have been ignited.
“The book offers what I went through, tools and processes on how to cope on a daily basis.
She took on the fight wholeheartedly as online radio host on WOMan Radio, where she hosts mindful discussions.
WOMan Radio is an all-female online radio platform founded by singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka.
“Stereotypes must go. Cultural and religious stigmas are still very strong, which is something I struggled with. When I got sick, I was dismissed as demon possessed.
I was described as someone who was bewitched … With time, I’ve seen an improvement in society, but that’s because people are starting to talk about it and take it with the seriousness it deserves.
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