10/16/2025
I remembered delivering a mental health presentation to a group in one of the West African countries. During the Q&A session, more than five men confidently told me that mental health awareness isn't meant for Africans. According to them, "Africans don’t struggle with mental health issues."
What surprised me even more was their shared belief: "Give someone in Africa who is depressed some money, and that depression will disappear."
They were deeply entrenched in the idea that mental health issues are only for the poor—and that it's impossible for a wealthy person to be depressed. No matter how much I tried to explain that mental health conditions can have genetic roots or be influenced by family history, it was like talking to a wall.
Did I feel defeated? Empathetically, no. If anything, that experience fueled my passion to keep pushing for mental health awareness.
Too often, people reduce mental health to just depression or anxiety, forgetting that it also affects how we sleep, eat, work, and function in our daily lives.
Mental health is not a “Western” concept. It's not a “poor people” issue. It's not a “luxury” concern.
Mental health is for everyone.
Kelechiokwaraji MentalHealth foundation