Men struggle to speak openly about depression, anxiety and emotional distress.
In South Africa, a mental health crisis has a specific sound, and it is not that of sobbing.
Instead, it is the stifling, painful silence of a car engine idling in a suburban or township driveway late into the night. It is the image of a father gazing blankly at his dashboard, overwhelmed by the financial and emotional burdens within his home that have become too great to confront.
It is the sudden, explosive slam of a kitchen cupboard over a minor inconvenience; the irrational road rage on the N1; the quiet, systematic withdrawal of a man whose internal pressure valve has completely fused shut.
Words like "Be strong", "Man up", "Don't cry" and "Handle it yourself", feel all too familiar.
