World Health Day is celebrated on April 7. This year’s celebration comes at a time when many health systems around the world are looking for ways to address capacity and funding challenges for essential services. Mental health is becoming a topic of growing interest, and many are wondering if enough is being done to adequately address this issue.
Mehnaaz Olla Director of the Mancosa School of Health
“South Africa must accelerate its efforts in tackling mental health issues if it is to align with the global approach to the subject. Although much has been done in South Africa to tackle mental health, the reality is this: it is still a subject that requires significant attention from government, both from a funding and tackling existing stigmas associated with mental health,” says Mehnaaz Olla, head of the Mancosa School of Healthcare (SoH).
She adds that provided specific interventions are implemented over the next five years; South Africa can lead the continental charge when it comes to a holistic approach to mental health.
Set the scene
Olla emphasizes that before we embark on this journey, it is essential to have a good idea of the landscape when it comes to the prevalence of mental health in South Africa, the people seeking treatment and the treatment options available .
A 2009 study highlights that almost 20% of South African adults reported suffering from mental health problems. The study adds that less than a quarter of this population seeks treatment to treat these conditions.
“While this study paints an alarming picture, it is questionable whether more South Africans suffer from mental health problems than the 20% reported in the study. There is significant stigma attached to mental health issues in some cultures, with patients reportedly facing serious mental health issues. discrimination when seeking treatment. With this in mind, how many South Africans are reluctant to report suffering from these problems? » asks Olla.
She adds that the alarming situation in which mental health patients find themselves is not limited to that.
The World Health Organization’s Global Health Observatory data repository reports that there are only 1.52 psychiatrists per 100,000 South Africans in South Africa. Additionally, 73% of these psychiatrists operate in the private sector, and only 50% of South Africa’s public hospitals have psychiatrists. “These measures focus on large public health facilities in urban areas. This leaves mental health patients in rural areas with minimal support,” says Olla.
A major root cause
Over the past five years, countries have faced the worst health pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu and returned to daily life after significant periods of forced isolation.
“Many people were scared and anxious during the COVID-19 lockdown. With little to do, they turned to social media as a source of information and as a tool to access communication platforms, allowing them to stay in touch with family and loved ones. For many, technology has become an important lifeline over the past three years,” Olla points out.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, social media has become an essential communication tool. However, this has become a problem that South African youth are struggling to resolve. “Social media is the root cause of many mental health problems, as young people use it to compare themselves to others and stay up to date with global trends. Social media is also a platform where significant cyberbullying occurs. When we were bullied at school (in a world where access to technology was limited), we could go home and get into a safe place to enjoy some time away from the problems. The always-connected nature of the Internet and social media does not offer this luxury,” Olla points out.
Technology also impacts mental health in the workplace. “Technological advancements have created a lot of fear and anxiety about technology dominating jobs. With the unemployment crisis looming over South Africa, it’s understandable why this could become a problem,” says Olla.
How do we move forward?
The Mancosa SoH actively contributes to collective efforts to improve the discourse around addressing mental health issues in the higher education landscape. “SoH offers short learning programs that specifically address mental health. Additionally, we try to incorporate the principles of best practices in mental health into other SoH offerings,” Olla points out.
She adds that the NHI also presents an ideal opportunity to change the narrative on mental health in Africa. “Technological advances can offer important value levers when designing a universal health system that promotes equitable access to quality health care for all South Africans,” says Olla.
Change the narrative
Olla says significant progress can be made through public awareness campaigns that change existing narratives around mental health.
A 2019 study highlights that women are more willing to seek help for mental health issues than their male counterparts. “This is a problem that needs to be addressed. In 2019, more than 13,000 suicides were reported in South Africa, more than 10,000 of them among men. Although we cannot unequivocally link these suicides to problems “We need to encourage men to be more open about mental health issues,” says Olla.
Added to this are existing cultural stereotypes that men are the providers of their families and must be resolute in their duties. “The world has changed; women are increasingly becoming co-responsible for the care of their families. The government needs to lead a campaign that tackles this problem, the stigma around mental health issues and the pressures of being the main financial earner for their family. » said Olla.
Finally, Olla says people should take advantage of technology. “In his last television interview in 2018, Steven Hawking said that since the start of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there had been fears of mass unemployment as machines replaced humans. “The increased capabilities of machines. We need to start using technology as a tool to help us do our jobs better rather than fearing it,” says Olla, adding that Generation Alpha, being true digital natives, has a golden opportunity to harness the potential of technology. for progressive digital transformation.
She concludes that this is just the beginning of a plan to formulate a holistic plan to address mental health in Africa’s most diverse economy.
