Rhyme and Reason
Two years ago, 26-year-old Stephen Fahey from Ardee was living in Edinburgh, gripped by anxiety and depression that left him unable to leave his house. He came home and with the help of a counsellor, he has managed to overcome his panic attacks and is feeling back to his own self.
A talented rapper, Stephen goes under the artist name Steo Skitz. Keen to break down the stigma attached to mental health and to give something back and help others in need, Stephen aka Steo Skitz has produced an album with 100 per cent of sales to go towards providing counselling for local people who find themselves in a similar situation, struggling to cope with depression and dark thoughts.
“I think there are a lot of people in the Louth and Meath area struggling with mental health issues and they may not realise how beneficial counselling could be for them, so all money raised will given to a local counsellor/psychologist and then people who may need help can get a free session with a counsellor who can help sort the problems that the may have,” said Stephen.
Interested in music from a young age, Stephen began rapping at the age of 15. “I've always been involved in music and played guitar. I started rapping at 15 and then I stopped for a few years but then I got back into it in the last year or two. I'm loving it at the moment. I never did a proper live show before until last year when I played the Voodoo lounge in Dublin before American Hip hip group Onyx.”
He also has an upcoming gig in the Turks Head on 10th February supporting Ether Wood, a drum and base DJ.
While Stephen's earlier music was more pop based, his own experience with depression and anxiety has influenced his writing in the last year or two and he hopes that it will help others who relate to it.
“Depression hit me bad when I was living in Edinburgh. I started having panic attacks and from there the depression came. I didn't leave the house for a month or two. I never thought it would stop. I thought that was me for life, that I wouldn’t be able to deal with it much longer.
“Then my mother and father came over to see me and they said I needed to come home. I came home fairly quickly but I was scared to leave the house and get on the plane. I had a panic attack in a restaurant and I thought I was going to die.
Stephen began counselling with Deirdre Wilde in Bettystown when he came home and the sessions helped him greatly in dealing with his anxiety and depression.
When asked if he was open to the idea of seeing a counsellor, Stephen said, he doesn’t think he was but did not want to go down the route of medication.
“I went to the doctor and at first I thought maybe I was missing a vitamin or there was something I was low in and that it wasn't just all in my head. The doctor wanted me to go on tablets but I didn’t want to. I was afraid they would leave me numb. The doctor recommended I see a counsellor.”
Stephen recalls that he went to the counsellor for thee months and hasn't had a panic attack since.
“I was getting suicidal thoughts and I couldn’t stop them. I haven’t had one in a long time. I till get the odd one but I have learned the techniques to deal with it through Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)”.
“I still have anxiety and at times some depression but the panic attacks are gone.”
Stephen wants to help others access mental health counselling having seen the benefit it had for him and is also raising awareness of mental health by recording an album and using the sales to provide counselling sessions for those in need.
‘The War Within’ features 12 tracks and he released a video from the album on YouTube last week entitled ‘Read Between The Lines Part 2’ which has already gathered 23,000 views. He was helped by his manager and director Gary Coleman on making this video.
'The War Within' is available for download at
https://steoskitz.bandcamp.com/album/the-war-within
or hard copies can be purchased at Sizzlers Cafe, Topaz Garage, Maxol Garage, all Ardee, Bare Food Restaurant, Drogheda, Felda Gym, Dundalk and Warren the Barbers, Collon. The cost is €10 with all sales going towards providing local counselling sessions.
Stephen says feedback has been brilliant and he has got a lot of support. So far €300 has been raised and Stephen hopes they can raise much more than this which will be used to pay for counselling for local people in need who can't afford it.