Mental wellness talk at Life Brackenview
Life Brackenview provided a free talk, covering all aspects of mental health disorders to the community on October 22.
World Mental Health Awareness Month is observed annually in October with World Mental Health Day taking place on October 10.
This month is observed with the purpose to raise awareness about mental health issues around the world and to rally efforts in support of mental health.
It also provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.
On October 22, a mental wellness day talk took place at Life Brackenview.
Life Brackenview has identified a large increase among community members requiring mental health assistance and help post-Covid. Due to this need, the hospital decided to provide a free talk, covering all aspects of mental health disorders.
“Before the pandemic, an estimated one in eight people globally were living with a mental disorder. The Covid-19 pandemic has created a global crisis for mental health, fueling short and long-term stresses and undermining the mental health of millions. Estimates put the rise in both anxiety and depressive disorders at more than 25% during the first year of the pandemic,” said hospital manager Johan Lombaard.
“Learning to cope with stress and anxiety is of utmost importance. It is a healthy way that will help you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient,” said Lombaard.
“Stigma and discrimination continues being a barrier. World Mental Health Month and increasing awareness about which preventive mental health interventions work, is an opportunity to play a part in the destigmatising of mental health issues.”
Their ongoing theme for the month was centred around making your mental health a priority and encouraging the notion that “it’s okay to not be okay”.
The multidisciplinary teams at Life Brackenview discussed the following mental health topics:
• Nicole Strachen, an occupational therapist, spoke about the role of occupational therapy in mental health.
• Physiotherapist Neshree Naidoo talked about the benefits of physiotherapy and exercise for mental health and holistic management.
• Counselling psychologist of ARC Recovery, Lario Botha, addressed substance abuse.
• Antonio de Gouveia, a clinical psychologist, spoke about burn-out in the workplace.
• Dr Thato Kalane, psychiatrist, gave an informative speech about the stigma related to mental health.
