City hosts mental health workshop
The workshop was a collaborative effort between local NGO, Kitso Ledsedi community development (KLCD) and Sefako Makgatho health sciences university.
Your mental health is important and you need to take it seriously.
This sentiment was the basis of a two-day mental health workshop at Sediba Hope medical centre (SHMC) hall in central Pretoria from November 16 to 17.
The workshop was a collaborative effort between local NGO, Kitso Lesedi community development (KLCD) and Sefako Makgatho health sciences university.
Organisers aimed to create the awareness of people suffering from mental health problems from all walks of life and give solutions on how to better maintain themselves.
Day one’s theme was “It’s okay to not be okay” and it focused on the burden mental health put on the affected.
“It was indicated that mental health issues are more common in the homeless community. Around 150 million people globally are currently homeless,” said KLCD in a statement.
KLCD serves the most marginalised groups of society in Tshwane, aiming to prevent and reduce homelessness, fight poverty and build a sustainable community.
“The stats show that men are more likely to struggle with mental health because they tend to bottle up their issues rather than communicate or seek help,” KLCD continued.
The body, spirit, and mind were identified as the factors that make up an individual’s overall health and aspects that affect each area were identified and discussed by speakers and attendees.
Aspects that affected mental health included psychological traumas, physical ailments that can affect the mind, drug use and stressors such as abuse, debt, unemployment among others.
The aforementioned can result in disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar depression, antisocial disorder, panic disorder and sexually related disorders.
“There are different levels of managing mental health disorders, there is the primary level such as prevention of mental illness, secondary such as early and acute treatment of the already established disorder and tertiary level such as rehabilitation.
Substance abuse is commonly used as a misguided solution to mental health problems by the affected.
Representatives of Clearview clinic shared information regarding the effects and dangers of drug use on mental health.
Typical signs one can expect from a drug user include:
– Unexplained change in personality or attitude.
– Sudden mood swings, irritability, anger outbursts.
– Lack of motivation and lethargy.
– Fearfulness, anxiety or paranoia.
The typical drugs people take to cope with their mental health problems include: Depressants (dagga or cannabis), stimulants (cocaine, meth and CAT) and narcotics or opioids (nyaope and heroin).
These legal drugs are also not spared abuse: Caffeine, tobacco and alcohol; inhalants – glue, methylated spirits, furniture polish, nail polish remover; prescription drugs – sleeping tablets, opioids; and over-the-counter drugs – pain medication, codeine.
Day two put the spotlight on emotional intelligence.
The main takeaway was to ensure that you practice regular self-awareness. This includes practising things like self-regulation, journaling and watching out for compassion fatigue, especially for social workers or people who work with helping others.
“Being self-aware also means having a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses and behaving with humility. Don’t make emotional decisions when under pressure and don’t stereotype people or compromise their values either. Self-regulation is about staying in control,” KLCD said.
Speaker on emotional intelligence N. Mahanjana said: “Self-management is the best management. It’s okay if we understand you but it’s important that you understand yourself, always be in-tune with your emotions”.
Overall the workshop was brimming with inspiring speakers and fun activities.
Attendees wore green ribbons to showcase their support for the effort.
“We need to take care of our mental health by making sure that we exercise, get enough rest and eat healthily. Mental health is real,” KLCD concluded.
Rekord News | City hosts mental health workshop
More at 6pm pic.twitter.com/9voQBzuZD4— Pretoria Rekord (@RekordNewspaper) November 21, 2022
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