Abstract

The identification of mental illness among African people is a low priority, and often only serious mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders are readily identified. This does not mean that the more common illnesses are not present; in fact, the numbers for depression and anxiety disorders are similar to developed countries (Mathers & Loncan, 2006). A case example is presented of a woman who experiences depression with anxiety, a common illness in Africa due to emotional abuse by her husband, along with a lack of family support, circumstances supported by cultural attitudes (Feduka et al., 2014).