How is your mental health?
Health is an important aspect of life and while the focus is
mostly on taking care of our bodies by means of dieting, exercising and cutting down on
harmful habits like drinking and smoking, good health also means good mental
health. Mental health has to do with the quality of our lives and the way that
we get along - in our families, at school, at work, and at play. Mental health problems are common in
societies with as many as one in six South Africans suffering from anxiety,
depression or substance-use problems. While stress is your body’s way of responding
to any kind of demand or threat it can be one of the contributing factors of
depression as well as anxiety if not treated accordingly. South Africa’s mental healthcare resources are
wholly unequipped to handle the burden placed on them. South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG ) claim that less
than 16% of sufferers receive treatment for mental illnesses. We spoke to the spokesperson of Cape Mental
Health, Dylan Oktober which is an organisation that runs awareness, education, counselling and training programmes aimed at
helping people enjoy good mental health.
For more information on Cape Mental Health:
Physical address:22 Ivy Street, Observatory
Postal address: Private Bag X7, Observatory 7935
Telephone: 021 447 9040 (International +27 21 447 9040 )
Fax: 021 448 8475 (International +27 21 448 8475 )
Comments