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On Sunday, 10 October, we observe ‘Mental Health Awareness Day’. Sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is an annual awareness campaign with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilising efforts to support mental well-being, prevent mental ill-health, respond to mental distress and reduce inequalities and discrimination.
Defined by the WHO as “a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community,” mental health is so much broader than just brain function.
Says Dr Nelia Drenth, Chairperson of The South African Association of Social Workers in Private Practice (SAASWIPP): “An estimated 400 million people worldwide suffer from mental or neurological disorders or from psychosocial problems[1]. Mental health is not solely about mental illness; it’s more about the holistic care of mental wellbeing and understanding what needs to be in place for an individual to be able to navigate the challenges of life.”
The ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic has served to heighten both the awareness and recognition of the importance and, at times, fragility of mental health. “The last 18 months has definitely exacerbated existing mental health issues for some whilst also causing additional mental pressures and challenges for many,” continues Drenth.
In her 2008 thesis: Complicated grief in the South African context – a therapeutic intervention programme, Drenth detailed that, whilst generally, approximately 10-15% of grieving individuals are expected to suffer from complicated grief[2], during 2020 and 2021 – in the grip of a global pandemic – complicated grief has become a far more prevalent condition. Loosely defined as ‘chronic’ or ‘prolonged grief’ that overwhelms the person experiencing it, rendering it almost impossible for them to return to their normal daily routine and possible to endure for years, Drenth says: “As deaths have occurred during this time – the physical, mental and social consequences of isolation and social distancing may impact the potential for complicated grief.”
This is but just one example of the impact of the last 18 months on mental health, with much already written and documented around the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of the family unit, women, teenagers and young children, frontline and/ or health care workers, substance abuse, et al. However, Drenth goes on to stress that as severe and unprecedented as the last while has been, mental health is by no means a pandemic or crisis only related issue.
“Yes, the last 18 months has led most of us to be increasingly more mindful of the importance of being more attuned to our emotional and psychological health,” says Drenth. “However, mental health has and always will be a condition of our humanity and even outside of pandemic or crisis related occurrences, it is something that needs to be paid attention to, managed and taken care of.”