The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships For Mental Health Journalism
2007-2008

Ilse Pauw
Senior Writer/Editor
Health24.com
Cape Town, South Africa

TOPIC: Write a series of feature articles highlighting individuals living with a mental illness.

In Charge and Depressed
Former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik can remember every detail of 31 August 1997, the day he was diagnosed with depression – an illness that he says has enriched and changed his life.

State Ritalin Shock
State psychiatrists are up in arms about a decision by the Western Cape Department of Health to withdraw the long-acting form of Ritalin, Ritalin LA, from the public sector as of December 2007. Psychiatrists say the decision is a major setback in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

To Tell or Not
Up until the winter of 1997, Sue thought she had it made: a loving husband, adorable one-year-old twins, a great home and a booming career as a lawyer. One text message was all it took to shatter her world.  Her husband had left his phone at home by mistake and when a text message came through, Sue checked it in case it was something urgent. What she read was: "Thanks for yet another wonderful time. Can't stop thinking about you xxx."

My Secret Life
Elizabeth first noticed she was a bit different from other people when she was nine years old. She was petrified of swallowing her own spit. She was convinced that if she swallowed it, something bad would happen, especially to her parents, and that it would be her fault.

The Cruellest Loss
It was his son's suicide three years ago which set Bhabha Mkhasibe on a new career path: fighting to raise awareness about suicide.

My Addiction Journey
Sam (35) remembers the day her addiction started. While travelling on a school bus at the age of 13, she got horribly drunk on cough mixture and alcohol. Little did she know that this would be the start of a 20-year downward spiral of abuse and self-destruction.

Living in a Quandary
"Living with mental illness means living with a set of questions," says 43-year-old Sanette. "Will I get ill again? Am I still ill?  "You are in a quandary: you wonder, should I tell people and trust them, or not? And how will they react? I don't think anyone who hasn't had a mental illness can begin to imagine what it is like living like this."

The Stigma of Mental Illness
Whacko, cuckoo, "malkop", "waansinnig", loony, nuts, crazy, bananas… the list of negative labels for people living with mental illness is long. The labelling, discrimination and exclusion of the mentally ill happens all over the world and has occurred throughout history. In ancient Greece, the mentally ill were not allowed out in public and their families were fined if they didn't control them.

Hidden Shame
Joyce (68) has a thick, full mane of brown hair. But what people don't realise is that the locks at her right temple are carefully arranged to cover a huge bald patch, the circumference of a tennis ball.