On the news the other day they were discussing the suicide of a teenager when the announcer said suicide is now the second biggest cause of teen deaths in South Africa. Disturbing as this is, it did not surprise me. In 1986, when I was a psychology intern, I worked at...
I consulted with a 65-year-old woman some time ago. For 42 years she had been involved in a relationship with a man she described as “beautiful”. He had died from colon cancer a few weeks prior to her seeing me. She was lonely and missing him terribly. I...
Last week I watched Carte Blanche, which was both riveting and disturbing. It concerned the murders of Brett Golding and Richard Bloom. At some point, the investigative journalist ended up in Manenberg, on the Cape Flats, which is notorious for its violence, drugs and...
During the normal course of my work, I regularly treat people who are victims of violence. These are ordinary South Africans who have survived hijackings, muggings and robberies. Some have endured terrible beatings and torture, and almost inevitably end up suffering...
I attended two funerals this week. One was a 32-year-old who was killed in a motorcycle accident and the other was 78-year-old who died after a long struggle with cancer. What was interesting for me was the response of the mourners at the two funerals. For the young...
It’s almost summer again and the television ads are rapidly changing from cough and flu medication to a plethora of slimming aids and devices to get those six-packs to show off at the beach. It’s amazing how each year, just when you think there...
