Mental health disorders a concern

Neuropsychiatric disorders have the third highest disease prevalence in South Africa behind HIV and other infectious diseases, according to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. He said that another major concern was that both global and local studies showed that mental ill-health featured prominently in its high level of co-morbidity with infectious diseases, such as HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis. He said he was not surprised to hear that 43 percent of people living with HIV also had a mental disorder.

This showed an obvious link for mental health being both a precursor and a consequence of HIV. The everyday stress of living in a developing country was a further contributing factor for many South Africans. Motsoaledi said the adverse living conditions, racial discrimination, childhood trauma, and alienation brought about by the political, social and economic conditions had resulted in significant mental health challenges and continued to put many of our citizens at risk.

High levels of violence and trauma in society also had a negative impact. He said according to the 2004 SA stress and health survey, 16.5 percent of adults had experienced a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder in previous months. There also continued to be an over-reliance on psychiatric hospitals as the mode for care, treatment and rehabilitation. However infrastructure of these facilities was problematic. He said that the infrastructure audit showed that the psychiatric hospitals were dilapidated and inappropriate for the modern requirements despite all the resources dedicated to revitalising infrastructure. Hurdles which faced mental health improvement included lack of community-based mental health services, inadequate public awareness of mental health, stigmatisation and discrimination. Motsoaledi said the mental health system mirrored many of the characteristics and problems within the health sector. He said the government must accept and with humility, take responsibility where it had failed the country and now do what was necessary to rectify previous neglect or mistakes that might have been made.

SAPA, 13 April 2012