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Whilst Mental Health is arguably the most important element of any individual’s wellbeing, it is also the most commonly neglected.

The recent Covid-19 Pandemic, coupled with its consequential Lockdowns and the implementation of other protective measures, has both highlighted the importance of Mental Health Care as well as exacerbated both its seriousness and prevalence within society.

On a global scale, a statement made by the World Health Organisation claims that “Mental Health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. Close to 1 billion people are living with a Mental Health disorder, 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide.”

Whilst many Western Countries have recently started to take Mental Health more seriously, many other countries in the world have yet to accept the importance of Mental Health. South Africa is on the verge of change in this regard and whilst we have started to pay more attention to Mental Health Issues, we are still not at the point where we are effectively addressing the problem.

South Africa is a country with a population of some 59 million people (According to a 2020 estimate) of which 20.7 million (34.9% in 2021) people are currently unemployed. In a demographic like this, the effects of something like a Covid pandemic can be disastrous.

According to a recent NDIS Study (National Income Dynamics Study) and the CRAM (Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey – 2020), there has been a general increase in the incidence of Fear, Anxiety, Loneliness and Uncertainty about the future since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic. There is also an increase in Unemployment, General fear of Job Loss, Hunger and Food Insecurity.

The Alexander Forbes’ Health Management Solutions Report showed that 60% of South Africans experience higher levels of Emotional and Psychological Stress than before the Covid-19 pandemic. In the report, they note higher incidences of Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Domestic Violence, Loneliness, Isolation and even Musculoskeletal related medical conditions amongst the population.

Unfortunately, not everyone has access to effective Mental Health care. In 2020, South Africa had 76 active medical schemes that supported 8.89 million beneficiaries. This means that only 15% of the population has access to some form of Medical Scheme assistance. It is reported that, with the rising costs of medical care and subsequently Medical Scheme tariffs, these schemes are losing up to 100 000 members per year. That’s a drop of 1.15% in membership across the board per year since 2019.

Furthermore, not all Medical Schemes have benefits that include Mental Health conditions and the average cost of a Counselling session in the country can range from anything between R750 to R2500 per hour. These tariffs, if not covered by a Medical Scheme, are out of reach for the more common South African who is required to pay cash for these services.

The World Health Organization’s 2019 “Worldwide Suicide Report” claimed that some 13774 people committed suicide in South Africa in that particular year. Of these 10861 were male and 2913 were female. The incidence of suicide in Men, in South Africa, is thus almost 4 times higher than the incidence in women.

The Gauteng Department of Health noted that in the period between 2019 and 2021 there was a 90% increase in the incidence of suicide cases within the province.

A further stumbling block in the struggle towards better Mental Health, particularly in South Africa, is the unfortunate issue of “Stigma”, which is related to general opinion about Mental Healthcare. In many cases, however, this is linked to Cultural belief systems and upbringing. Men for example, according to the SADAG (South African Depression And Anxiety Group), instead of acknowledging their feelings, asking for help, or seeking the appropriate treatment for depression, may be more likely to turn to alcohol, drugs, or become frustrated, irritable, and angry.

South African men are generally raised in a society that does not acknowledge Mental Health Struggles as a legitimate problem. From a young age, we are taught things like “Cowboys Don’t Cry” and are encouraged to “Suck It Up” instead of expressing and dealing with our feelings and struggles. In a society like this, admitting that you are “Depressed” is seen as a sign of weakness.

From a cultural perspective, we must deal with the fact that some cultures (according to SADAG) do not even have a word for “Depression”. Within such cultures, the idea of having a Mental Health Issue is a completely foreign concept.

Unfortunately, not even Children are exempt.  Henrietta H. Fore (Executive Director of UNICEF) says, “Too many children and young people, rich and poor alike, in all four corners of the world, are experiencing mental ill-health as we have never seen before. This is the silent emergency of our times. It has no borders and requires urgent attention.”