Video Transcription

Opening up about my mental health despite the cultural stigma

Hi, I’m Anas. I’m South African Muslim. My parents are both South African, but I was born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Australia.

I remember being a very shy kid. If you asked my primary school friends, they’d say I was really reserved and even anxious.

Mental health in my community isn’t very well understood. People often say, “You just need more faith.” I remember attending a community conference once where they showed a short video about depression. That was it—they played the video, then moved on to the next topic. I was sitting with my mom, and she said, “That’s all?” I replied, “I guess that’s it.”

I started having really dark thoughts. I tried talking to my friends about it, but they would just brush it off and say, “Oh, it’s nothing.”

One day, I was in my bedroom, and my sister came in. She looked at me and asked if I was okay. I just burst into tears. That was the first time I ever opened up to someone other than my friends about my struggles.

After I told my mom, she helped me see a psychologist at my local Headspace. That’s when I started learning to cope and began my journey into mental health advocacy. I made new friends and started discovering who I am.

As I’ve learned to manage my mental health, I’ve also had friends come to me to share their struggles. They feel comfortable talking to me because they know I won’t judge them, especially since many of them worry about being judged by their parents.

I’ve faced a lot of challenges, but I’ve also received a lot of support along the way.

If you’re struggling, just remember to be yourself. Take your own journey, find someone you trust, and take that first step. From there, you can keep moving forward.

Video by headspace