Just a generation ago, being mentally ill was akin to being a leper.
Just a generation ago, being mentally ill was akin to being a leper.
Sufferers did so in silence for fear of being labelled as mad. The more overt sufferers were highly ostracised, shunned and stigmatised. Because they were considered unfit to live with others, most were sent away and confined in asylums.
Today, mental health is understood to cover a wide spectrum of illnesses which include mild and severe forms of anxiety, panic attacks, depression, psychosis, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mental health has indeed become so mainstream that it even has its own day.
Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day, a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. It was first held in 1992 by the World Federation For Mental Organisation, which has members in 150 countries, reflecting the global concern about mental health.
Unlike most commemorations, however, there is minimal ribbon-cutting or the clinking of champagne glasses on World Mental Heath Day. Instead, Sarah Green from the Rhodes Counselling Centre will join members of Daisy (Depression and Anxiety-Related Illnesses Society), and the public, for a teach-in, a public lecture, and support group discussions. The meeting will take place at the Public Library Hall from 10am.
Daisy was formed by Jo-anne de la Mare, a PhD student in the Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit at Rhodes University, and is affiliated to Sadag (the South African Depression and Anxiety Group), the country’s most visible mental health support and advocacy group. Sadag has spearheaded a drive to send a parliamentary petition lobbying for increased funding for the diagnosis, treatment and management of mental illness in South Africa.
Daisy Grahamstown holds monthly meetings during which members share their experiences and support one another. Jo-Anne has said in the past that Daisy grew out of the apparent dearth of support groups for people who need support in maintaining their mental health.
The organisation has some startling statistics for its case. According to the petition More Money for Mental Health, there are at least 220 suicide attempts in South Africa every day: resulting in 22 fatalities. The petition has figures on teenage suicide (9.5% of all teenage deaths in South Africa); the effects of violence (up to 6 million South Africans could be suffering from PTSD); substance abuse (we have some of the worst abuses of alcohol and drugs); and funding (just 1% of the Northern Cape budget is spent on mental health.)
“Only 284 psychiatrists care for South Africa’s 46 million people” the petition continues, with “only 120 in the government sector.”
Saturday’s event will include a screening about depression called Out of the Shadows, a ground-breaking PBS documentary chronicling the history, the devastating impact, and survivors of mental illness.
Contact Jo-Anne on 046 603 8441 for more information.
