July marks Mental Health Awareness Month, where mental health organisations nationwide embark on various campaigns focused on educating the public about mental illness.
July marks Mental Health Awareness Month, where mental health organisations nationwide embark on various campaigns focused on educating the public about mental illness.
This year the department has adopted the theme is ‘HIV/Aids and Depression’, which goes on to explore how the pandemic can affect the mental health of a patient.
Programme manager at the Port Elizabeth Mental Health Society, Diedre Burjins says that since the beginning of July, the society has been engaging in talks on HIV/Aids and mental illness with different communities and health institutions around the Nelson Mandela Metro area and over the radio.
Burjins says that “the talks are strong and beneficial, especially to families with mentally ill members. Some of the people we engage with might be suffering from depression but do not know about it. The talks include victim empowerment, domestic violence, anxiety, mental disorder and life skills, where we explore issues such as anger management.”
Studies and statistics
Many medical studies have found increased levels of depression in people living with HIV/Aids. Research has shown 60% of people who have HIV/Aids experience depression while 25% of HIV positive adolescents experience major depression.
Studies have also shown that many people living with both HIV and a mental illness, including depression, had that illness before becoming HIV positive.
People who have a mental illness are more vulnerable to HIV infection because depression can impair one’s judgement and decision-making, which can lead to behaviour that increases the risk of being infected with HIV.
People with mental illness are often marginalised and stigmatised in some communities and therefore may not receive appropriate HIV prevention education.
Grahamstown outreach
Grahamstown’s Fort England Hospital has an active community outreach programme with doctors and psychologists assisting at various psychiatric clinics in the Eastern Cape.
Fort England CEO Mohammed Nagdee says that the challenges faced by psychiatric patients in the community should be highlighted during Mental Health Awareness Month.
Nagdee listed the keys matters needed to be raised as the lack of adequate resources and services for the mentally ill, HIV/Aids and its relationship to mental ill-health, the few but excellent NGOs that provide support for people with mental difficulties, as well as the signs and symptoms of common mental illnesses, and how this section of our society should be supported by families, friends, employers and the community at large.
The Basics
What is depression?
Depression is a mental imbalance that primarily affects the mood.
People with depression can feel an overwhelming sense of guilt and may find it hard to get any satisfaction from life. They may feel extremely tired, have no energy, find it hard to concentrate, struggle to sleep and be preoccupied with thoughts about death and dying.
Depression affects people in different ways. It can range from mild to severe and can consist of one episode of depression to longer periods.
HIV and depression
It is important not to presume that depression is an automatic and expected reaction to an HIV diagnosis and that there is little that can be done to treat such depression. Depression may well be related to the stress around being diagnosed as HIV positive but is a disorder that can and should be treated.
While any depression should be treated not all depression in people living with HIV is simply a psychological response to the diagnosis. Depression can also be a pre-existing condition or be caused by the neuropsychiatric complications of HIV or side effects of antiretroviral medication.
Beliefs about mental illness and HIV/Aids in Africa
Throughout the African continent, attitudes towards mental health and understanding of HIV are influenced by traditional beliefs.
Many people believe that HIV and mental health are caused by supernatural, rather than medical, causes. This often results in high levels of stigma and also has implications for disease prevention and treatment.
In Uganda it has been suggested that traditional beliefs around mental illnesses being caused by witchcraft, supernatural forces and evil spirits are somehow associated with the lack of recognition by counsellors of mental health problems.
