Raising awareness on mental health
October was declared Mental Health Awareness Month with the objective of not only educating the public about mental health but also to reduce the stigma and discrimination that people with mental illness are often subjected to.
October is observed as Mental Health Awareness Month.
According to the latest Mental State of the World report published by the Mental Health Million Project, South Africa was identified as the lowest-ranked country based on mental well-being, with the mental health of younger generations and women plummeting.
With recent challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, April floods, July 2021 unrest, and load shedding, organisations such as Tetley created a self-care calendar that shares daily, practical tips to address stress.
Candice Sessions, Tetley marketing manager said: “As women, we don’t often prioritise ourselves. Mom, wife, daughter, friend, sister, employee, leader, helper. We fill so many of these different roles that we often put ourselves last. We worry about the health of our loved ones but neglect ourselves.” She added that this Mental Health Awareness Month, they want to encourage the women of South Africa to invest in self-care, saying that this doesn’t have to be a massive shift.
Sessions said it is about making small changes that prioritise physical, mental, and emotional well-being; that become part of a longer-term investment in self. According to the South African government, October was declared Mental Health Awareness Month with the objective of not only educating the public about mental health but also to reduce the stigma and discrimination that people with mental illness are often subjected to.
It added that mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and job stress are common, affecting individuals, their families and co-workers, and the broader community.
“In addition, they have a direct impact on workplaces through increased absenteeism, reduced productivity, and increased costs. Very few South Africans seek treatment for their mental disorders. Mental illness can be treated at your nearest clinic, hospital or healthcare provider. Mental health problems are the result of a complex interplay between biological, psychological, social and environmental factors. There is increasing evidence that both the content and context of work can play a role in the development of mental health problems in the workplace,” it said.
Also, in observing Mental Health Awareness Month, Professor Christopher Paul Szabo is hosting the Beyond Madness podcast where he is tackling topics such as abortion and psychological consequences, religion and psychiatry, body image and aesthetic surgery, victims and perpetrators (the emotional toll of parole), mindfulness and mental health, traditional healers and psychiatry, animals, healing and comfort, corporate mental health, and more.
The podcast is available on CliffCentral.
Szabo is the former Academic Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of the Witwatersrand and Head of Clinical Department, Department of Psychiatry, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
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