KZN Health MEC's big mental health awareness push

Young people are struggling with mental health, but they need to know help is at hand

Mental health illness is a reality, not 'izifo zezifundiswa nezigwili' (rich people's diseases) - We must understand and attend to them

13 October 2024

"We must not regard mental health as an illness 'for educated and rich people' Most people don't know about Bipolar Disease, for instance. They might have heard about something called depression, but even then, If you say you have depression, you're more likely to be asked why you have rich people's disease. It's important to ensure, as society, that we know and accept that mental health challenges affect all of us."

These were the sentiments expressed by KZN Health MEC Ms Nomagugu Simelane, when she spoke during a Youth Mental Health community outreach programme, at Umzinyathi, in Inanda yesterday.

"With seven to go before the start of the matric exams we know many young people are under immense pressure. So, this being Mental Health Week, we decided to focus on mental health awareness. That is why we've brought psychologists along. You sometimes find that young people can't handle pressure. You may even find a young person taking their own life just because they're unsure as to how to best handle a situation they're in. So, we thought by providing that support, we'll be saying to them, 'it's not the end of the world.' Yes, we want everyone to pass. But if you don't pass, there's always next time."

Yesterday's engagement was to wrap up another busy week for the MEC, who kicked off her mental health awareness crusade with a visit to the KZN Children's Hospital on Thursday. This was to mark World Mental Health Awareness Day.

The KZN Department of Health and KZN Children's Hospital Trust have been working together in a successful public-private partnership since 2011, to renovate and re-establish services at the KZN Children's Hospital.>

The aim of the hospital is to serve as a Centre of Excellence for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health conditions.

Over and above this, the Hospital is also an LGBTQI+ friendly facility

The Hospital's Neurodevelopmental Assessment Centre has been operational since 2013 and has managed over 45,000 consultations with children and adolescents to date. It is currently on a fundraising drive for the renovation of its planned psychiatric unit, and requires R23,6 million for its completion.

On Friday, MEC Simelane participated in a broadcast of her Department's KZN Health Chat multimedia programme, at Maguzu Clinic, in Umkhambathini, near Pietermaritzburg. The programme had a strong mental health theme, with various panelists lifting the lid on topics such as suicidal behaviour, bipolar disoder, as well as depression and anxiety. [The broadcast can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/dpUHJVpW4KZnqZY1/?mibextid=jmPrMh  ]

Reflecting on this strong push for mental health awareness during the broadcast, MEC Simelane said: "When I presented my Budget Speech, one of the things I said was that we need to elevate the conversation on mental health." "We want parents and guardians to be on the lookout for symptoms of various forms of mental illness, and to seek help for their children - or for themselves - when these symptoms manifest."

Ever the compassionate and mindful leader, MEC Simelane acknowledged the traumatic nature of the healthcare profession, encouraging staff not to suffer in silence, but seek help when they find themselves struggling.

"We are urging our employees not to allow themselves to suffer alone because help is at hand. We have programmes in place. The truth is that, a healthcare worker deals with matters of life and death on a daily basis. If we don't do anything to help, then it means we are contributing to their challenges, and we don't want that. We are pleading with them to come forward.

"Of course, some people believe in consulting with their spiritual leader over their mental healthcare practitioners. We do have a chaplaincy programme for them as well. Let's look after ourselves, and after each other."

ENDS Issued by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health

Additional Information

• The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has four specialised psychiatric hospitals in the province and two long-term care and rehabilitation centres.
• Fifty (50) of its hospitals provide 72-hour assessment for mental health patients. As per the Department's referral pattern, people who have mental healthcare challenges are to be taken to the nearest Primary Healthcare Clinic, where they'll be assessed and referred to the appropriate hospital.