Famous and desperate: why celebrities consider suicide

The bombshell admission by rapper HHP this week that he tried to commit suicide three times last year has elicited support from fellow celebrities - some of whom admit they too battle with depression and have considered taking their own lives.

7de Laan actress Vuyelwa Booi said she had been suffering from depression since she was 12 and had been hospitalised three times, while Strictly Come Dancing host Roxy Burger told of being haunted by suicidal thoughts.

And experts say those in the public eye are prone to depression. "They are under incredible pressure to remain big stars, live perfect lives," said clinical psychologist Mthetho Tshemese.

During an interview on CliffCentral radio on Monday, HHP, whose real name is Jabulani Tsambo, told Gareth Cliff of three attempts in which he had used carbon monoxide and helium - which he had read about after "joining a website called Suicide Assist".

"Radio is starting to only play trap music and I cannot do trap music because it's synonymous with [singing about] bitches, champagne and money," he said. "That is not what black excellence is about; that is not what Steve Biko died for.

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"I wanted to kill myself because I was not getting gigs because I am old school and realised I had to either get with the programme or just fizzle out with the rest of the oldies," Tsambo said.

The suicide attempts came after he had tried seeing a psychiatrist and taking antidepressants but "the shrink was too expensive and Zoloft made me feel lethargic".

Booi, 35, said she had never fully dealt with her depression until she was in her 20s as her parents had not understood the illness. She was hospitalised three times and said she had "split minds - one that hated myself, another which wanted to carry on in search of what was really wrong with me".

"Immediately, people would assume 'she needs to go to church, she is possessed with demons'.

"I got help, but also became a master at disguising my depression. I'd be in my dressing room on set sobbing and the moment the producer called me for scenes I'd be jovial and professional as if nothing had happened," said Booi.

Celebrated painter Yvette Molenaar said she had often been unable to get out of bed and face the world, but had put it down to menopause. "I thought I just needed a new life and then everything would be better." Then, one Sunday, she found "the solution".

block_quotes_start This [last] time I was in a bad patch, struggling to get work and being away from family for five weeks during Survivor. block_quotes_end

"I cooked lunch for the kids. I went into my studio to paint - but instead of painting soft, colourful flowers as usual, I started painting a dark black angel. I told the children I was going to have a sleep, but I had other plans. I simply took the pills and overdosed."

Her husband came home early and she was rushed to hospital.

"Since then I have realised there are so many people out there suffering from depression. By being open about what happened to me, so many others opened up about their own anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts."

Burger said suicidal thoughts had haunted her three times, during which she had imagined being "hit by a bus, dying in a bath and once I thought about driving my car into the railing on the highway".

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"This [last] time I was in a bad patch, struggling to get work and being away from family for five weeks during Survivor. Now I am on medication and I work with Sadag [South African Depression and Anxiety Group] and this helps," said Burger.

Actress Sophie Ndaba, Idols judge Somizi Mhlongo, Parlotones frontman Kahn Morbee and singer Zahara said although they had never been diagnosed with depression, they could relate to the stress of the entertainment industry.

"I was broke, in a dark place from 2006 to 2009, the banks would call wanting their money and I wouldn't even have enough money for petrol," said Mhlongo.

Zahara said she had faced many problems but went home to the Eastern Cape when things got extreme. "It is hard to have friends in this industry because you never know who's really here for you."

Morbee said: "Being famous can sometimes get lonely and has its highs and lows but we all need to reboot when things start getting us down."

sub_head_start Black men tough it out - until they can't cope sub_head_end

There is massive stigma around mental illness in South Africa, especially among black men as they are not encouraged to talk about their emotions because this is seen as a sign of weakness, according to South African Depression and Anxiety Group operations director Cassey Chambers.

"Society still doesn't understand enough about mental illness," she said.

An average of 23 South Africans take their own lives each day.

Men are five times more likely to commit suicide.

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Chambers said Sadag received 400 calls a day from people seeking help.

"Depression has no single face. It can be anybody. It could be someone living in an alley looking like a hobo, and it can be a soccer mom rushing off to the next extramural activity loaded on codeine to get through the day."

Psychologist Dr Mike West said suicide statistics could be just the tip of the iceberg as countless cases of depression are never recorded.

"Among rural South Africans, a staggering 67% have experienced a traumatic event. So how do we even measure the impact of that on the country?"

Also, 75% of those needing care for mental health do not receive it.

He said the difficulty was that there was no biomarker (such as a blood tests, for example) to check for depression.

"Two psychiatrists can see the same patient and come up with different diagnoses, but we have to treat the underlying causes [of depression], so the first step is to acknowledge that something is not right," West said.

Psychiatrist Dr Shaheen Kader said: "The lack of clinical attention that depression sometimes receives is what results in suicide. Individuals who most need treatment are also the best at masking their depression."

End of the road

• The most common methods of suicide in South Africa are hanging, poisoning, gassing, shooting, overdosing and burning;

• Six million South Africans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder;

• At least one in every 50 children suffer from depression. Most commonly they are from broken homes, or have suffered abuse or neglect, or lost a parent early in life;

• Clinical depression affects one in 20 teenagers; and

• Almost half of teen suicides occur on the weekend.

Contact the South African Depression and Anxiety group 011 234 4837.

Suicide Crisis Line on 0800 567 567 or SMS 31393.

mbeleg@sundaytimes.co.za; farbert@sundaytimes.co.za