- Matt Westner struggled with mental health from a young age, facing depression and addiction after his parents’ divorce and his father’s suicide.
- He overcame his challenges by choosing a healthy lifestyle and finding strength in his family.
- Now, he advocates for mental health awareness, encouraging others to seek help and not let their circumstances define them.
Matt Westner being bullied and dealing with his parents’ divorce saw him struggle with mental health challenges from a young age.
When he became a teenager, he suffered a nervous breakdown and struggled with depression after his dad committed suicide.
His father’s death was the wake-up call that saw him retake control of his life.
Today, Westner encourages young people to seek help and not to allow their circumstances to affect their mental health.
September marks Suicide Awareness Month with World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) commemorated annually on 10 September.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), suicide is a major public health challenge, with over 700 000 deaths reported each year globally.
Fight
With this year’s theme being “Changing the narrative on suicide”, the day aims to raise awareness that suicide can be prevented.
Westner says fighting depression and addiction plagued him throughout his teenage years.
“My upbringing involved constant moving around and immigration. I was labelled ‘the foreigner’ at school and was bullied and beaten up for being the skinny kid. My parents divorced when I was eight and I was taken away from my dad after we immigrated back to South Africa.
“Once I hit puberty, I had a nervous breakdown trying to uphold high standards of school grades and sporting achievements. At the time, everyone in my family was going through their struggles and it felt very lonely at home.”
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He explains that he was placed in a tutoring facility.
“I was put into a tutoring centre so that I could focus better on myself and my grades. Unfortunately, this tutoring centre was filled with troubled children and eventually influenced me to start drinking and experimenting with drugs.”
He explains that when his dad died, he decided to turn his life around.
Seek help
Westner encourages people to seek help.
“No matter what is causing your depression, it’s not worth your life. I know it’s hard to fight certain circumstances that seem like a lost battle, but I have found peace in walking away from situations and focusing on my mental well-being instead.
“It’s okay to choose your life over a job, a property, a partner or even your social status. You can’t look after other responsibilities if you aren’t looking after yourself.”
He says support from family and friends is crucial.
“Even though we don’t get to choose our family, it’s all we have when we come into this life. They know the real you, and you should be comfortable taking down your mask in front of them. You should feel refreshed and uplifted after spending time with them.”
Westner says doing selfless acts for his family gives him “meaning and purpose” in life.
“I also understand some people aren’t blessed with loving homes and families, so it’s okay to form a close bond with certain friends. Friends who make you feel wanted and loved. Those friends can be your family too.”
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) joined the global mental health community in highlighting the urgent need to address suicide prevention.
Sadag is focusing specifically on the alarming rise in teen suicide rates in South Africa. Through its school outreach programme, it aims to create a lasting impact through education, intervention and awareness programmes.
Roshni Parbhoo-Seetha, Sadag’s project manager for the school outreach programme, wrote in a press statement that the organisation had visited over 100 schools in Gauteng and according to its evaluation, three in 10 teachers reported that learners in their school have died by suicide in the last year.
Parbhoo-Seetha further stated that teen suicide was an urgent public health issue in SA.
To address this crisis, Sadag continues its school outreach programme in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education, which provides critical mental health education and crisis intervention to learners and teachers.
The programme equips learners, teachers, and parents with the tools to identify warning signs of teen depression and suicide, fosters open discussions on mental health, and ensures that teens have access to immediate support through Sadag’s helpline and counselling services.
- 98% of teachers reported that they learnt where to get help for learners who experience mental health problems.
- 96% of teachers felt more confident that they would be able to identify signs of depression among learners after the talk.
- 95% learnt basic counselling skills to help learners talk about their problems.
Zamo Mbele, Sadag board vice chair and clinical psychologist, said by going directly into schools, they create a safe space for learners to talk about their struggles.
“Many (learners) don’t know where to turn to, and our school talks are often the first step toward connecting them with life-saving resources. These programmes are also critical in providing teachers with the skills to offer early intervention and crisis support before it’s too late.”
