Anthena Blak will share her KAP patient journey underpinned by her lived reality as a feminist, migrant, unemployed, black single mother, who has been living in Germany since January 2020.

blak is a research methodologist with an eclectic background; a contributor to 43 development projects spanning the health, energy, climate adaptation and ICT4D sectors in her country. Although distinct, these research interests have a cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary perspective that helps her hone in on the social determinants of risk and vulnerability in society with ease. anthena is passionate about human-centred development in health services and products; she hopes to continue working in the field of health systems research in Germany.

anthena has chosen to use a pseudonym. Anonymity is necessary to reduce personal risk as a result of a high conflict situation with the father of her child. She fears that he might approach the court for custody, and not due to shame about her condition or the stigma associated with ketamine treatment. Her fear is amplified by the stigma associated with poor mental health within the legal system in Germany. She is aware of several single mothers who have lost custody, and had their children removed from their care in this way. These fears influenced her decision to remain anonymous.