Just one in 10 South Africans with a mental illness has access to care and an estimated one in three “will or do suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lifetime”.
Those stark statistics, according to the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), come on the back of World Health Day on October 10.
They come as South Africans grapple with mental health challenges brought on by the changes to our lifestyle following the Covid-19 pandemic, and bring to the fore the reality that mental health is set to spiral into a crisis in our country.
The day’s theme this year, set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and The World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH), was “Greater Investment – Greater Access”.
But while mental health is a human right, it is not prioritised and made available to all, hence the call to scale up investment to improve access to mental health as one of the most neglected areas of public health worldwide.
The deaths of 143 people at various psychiatric facilities in SA from causes including starvation and neglect should have taught us that we need improved mental healthcare and access for our people.
SA’s mental healthcare system is a reactive one focused on treating the most severe conditions, rather than preventing or providing early interventions.
— SA Depression and Anxiety Group
But in the years post-Life Esidimeni, the statistics highlight that we have not learnt from our fatal failures.
The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) warns that equal access to better mental health for all is hampered by a severe lack of treatment facilities and mental health professionals, with only 1,000 psychiatrists to serve the country’s almost 60 million people.
President elect of SASOP Dr Sebolelo Seape said the lack of professionals was worsened by structural barriers to achieving universal mental health coverage, including treatment costs and limited medical aid cover for mental illness, while a lack of public-sector treatment facilities and professionals is felt in both high-density urban areas and SA’s more rural provinces.
“This indicates that from the get-go, South Africa is not in a position to deliver services adequately to its population.”
Sadag points out that SA’s mental healthcare system is a reactive one focused on treating the most severe conditions, rather than preventing or providing early interventions.
Two high-profile cases in the past week point to this weakness.
In his recently released memoir, The Book of ProVerb, the businessman, radio and television host speaks candidly about his deep depression in 2015, which culminated in his attempted suicide following his split from his wife.
ProVerb told the Sunday Times: “In my personal life I have found peace and this is the biggest takeaway that I hope many will receive from the book. My victory against depression and dark times, I hope, will show others that there is light, and I sincerely felt that my story was well timed as depression is rife in our society, so perhaps this will stimulate conversations and offer some hope.”
And then on Friday a tweet from another successful SA celeb, Boity – “Always check on the strong ones” – opened up a thread of important conversations about her mood, state of mind and, importantly, bringing out mental health issues into the open.
We have seen a number of celebrities succumb to mental health illnesses, reinforcing the importance of being proactive and the importance of raising our voices to help advocate for better mental healthcare.
SASOP has called on the SA government and health authorities to increase training for mental healthcare workers and professionals and improve geographic distribution of mental healthcare facilities to ensure better and more equitable access to treatment for mental health conditions.
But we too can play our part in deconstructing the stigma around mental health, which affects access to care, by challenging misconceptions that people who are anxious or depressed are weak.
The pandemic has caused an increase in the demand for mental health services as a result of social isolation, fear of illness or concern over loss of income, often exacerbating existing mental health conditions and triggering stress in many younger people.
The problem is not going to go away on its own and we all need to play our part to hold our society, employers and government accountable to improve mental health literacy.
