Mental Health Awareness Month - July 2017

Mental Health is just as important as any other illness

According to the health calendar created by health system trust, this month is dedicated to educating the community about mental health as well as reduce the stigma and discrimination that people with mental illness are often subjected to. Mental health problems are the result of a complex relationship between biological, psychological, social and environmental factors.

TheHealthSite.com- world Mental Health Day

In the government of South Africa webpage, it indicates to us that, at least one in three people will, or have, a mental illness, yet 80 % of people with mental illness do not get treatment. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group have set out to create awareness in order to encourage more people to seek help, treatment and support. Due to the high occurrence of depression and anxiety, SADAG, is launching a dedicated depression and anxiety helpline (0800 70 80 90) which offer telephonic counselling and referrals for callers the necessary and most applicable healthcare professional.

The workplace has shown to play a big role in the development of mental health problems in the workplace. Key factors include:

• Workload
• Lack of control or participation in the workplace
• Hostile tasks
• Conflict
• Lack of acknowledgement at work
• Discrimination
• Poor working conditions
• Poor leadership and communication
• Conflicting home and work demands

Mental health of workers is very important. Employers should put into place a program that can assist in identifying any underlying mental health problems so that it can be treated effectively. (CDC, n.d.)

Knowing and living with someone with a mental illness.

When living with someone with a mental disorder, it is important to remember that they are dealing with something that you may not have experienced before. Of course, this does not mean that you should be subjected to any form of abuse, but sometimes actions like becoming emotional or locking themselves in a room may become a habit. Even though it may be a challenge, it is essential for you to consider being more understanding, don't get angry with them when they are upset. It is important to encourage the people close to you suffering from any form of mental health to attend counselling or support groups, as it may help them to be surrounded by people who can understand and relate to what they are going through.

 By: Riana van Wyk Biokineticist | 04 July 2017