The dark cloud over my head

Susan Keter who has experienced depression condition on 21st may 2018 David Gichuru

“The antidepressants made me feel like a zombie. I could barely get out of bed. I was also experiencing nasty nightmares,” Susan Catherine Keter says calmly as she deftly crosses her feet. She is 51, and there is a bubbly demeanour about her. Her cheerful face remains unlined by age and has a youthful glow to it. One can barely detect the ravages of the stresses mental illness has put in her family.

“I was always in low moods, always irritable and exhausted. Plus, despite experiencing insomnia, all I wanted was to spend my time in bed. Most people around me, even family members, didn’t understand what I was going through. There was a lot of gossip and criticism. They thought I was just lazy and emotionally weak.”