The news of the death of Dr Bongani Mayosi due to depression came as a shock as he is one of this country and continent’s greatest minds.
At the time of his death, Dr Mayosi was the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town.
He made a name for himself when he discovered the genetic mutation that causes heart failure.
His family said that he took his own life on Friday after a long fight with depression.
Clinical psychologist Dr Eddie Wolff says depression doesn’t discriminate, it reaches the rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful individuals.
The problem is when we see people being successful, we do not expect them to be depressed therefore we miss the warning signs and very often they themselves don’t see the warning signs. They see themselves as being a little bit out of sorts and it is important that we are on the lookout for ourselves and other people so that we can take action for when they get depressed.
— Dr Eddie Wol
The first step is to recognise that you are depressed.
— Dr Eddie Wolff, Clinical psychologistff, Clinical psychologist
Wolff named a few symptoms to be aware of like a change in sleeping patterns, not enjoying the thing that you love, withdrawal and not eating well.
He says when you start recognising these things you have to keep fighting them by going out and keep on doing the things you love.
Read the article on CapeTalk here: http://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/313413/we-often-miss-depression-warning-signs-in-successful-people
Find out more about Dr Bongani Mayosi here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongani_Mayosi
Reworking Joseph 