MENTAL ILLNESS MYTHS EXPOSED

People grappling with the burden of mental illness are found living on the margins of their communities due to the stigma attached to a condition, which is often easily treated.

The stigma attached to people with mental health has made it hard for some of them to survive within their communities. They are considered ‘crazy’ and nothing they say or do is taken seriously.

During a recent mental health summit held in the province, it was revealed that the Free State had the highest percentage of people who suffer from depression and anxiety in the country.

Research shows that one in every four individuals develops one or more mental disorders at some stage in their life. Globally, more than 450 million people are afflicted by mental disorders in both developed and developing countries.

According to health practitioners, mental health illness is more common than cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. Two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable mental disorder do not seek treatment for fear of being stigmatised. Mental illness is also a leading cause of disability in the world. It is considered a major contributor to suicide amongst people aged 15 to 34.

In the Free State, common mental health disorders are psychotic disorders, depression, bipolar, substance induced disorders, and psychosis due to a medical condition. Mental health patients in the province are treated at the Free State Psychiatric Complex, which caters for in- and out-patients. The centre is also responsible for outreach services into the community for mental health care services.

It treats approximately 495 adult outpatients and 430 child and adolescent outpatients per month from the Free State and parts of the Northern Cape. These are exclusive of unknown cases in different communities where people who are considered ‘mad’ are roaming the streets.

There are 20 clinics with only 13 psychiatrists that treat mental health patients in the province
One of the centre’s patients, Kgotso Setlhabela, suffers from depression but because he is on treatment, he can function normally like any other member of society. However, he is not taken seriously by people within his community. To keep himself sane, he writes poems and scripts but “nothing in my life seems to go right”. He lives alone in a decrepit four-room house.

“I grew up in Bochabela, Mangaung, with my brother raised by both parents. Everything was going right with my life until things changed drastically for the worse. My mother passed away and father followed soon after. They were very sick.

I even suspected that someone was bewitching us. I could not handle their passing on and I became very depressed and could not cope”

Failing to cope with his parents’ death, he got involved in criminal activities to survive. He was arrested and imprisoned for three months after being found guilty of malicious damage to property. He said he learnt much from this experience and started motivating other young people to live a positive life by contributing towards their community and avoid getting involved in crime.

“I started a youth development organisation, volunteered at an aftercare project and the Befrienders organisation. I have training in Small Medium Enterprise (SMME) and Project Management. I need help to document what I have written into a book. Maybe this will turn my life around.”

Though Setlhabela has some skills that can be beneficial in the job market, he cannot find a job. He said since his arrest, he has been associated with every crime that takes place in his community.

“If there is any case of abuse or rape of women, I automatically become a suspect. People do not believe me and they think I am capable of committing all these crimes. I have only been convicted of one crime and nothing else.

“Guys sometimes commit crimes in front of me. They think I am stupid and I cannot tell the police. They are wrong about me. I am normal like everyone else and what they are doing to me hurts so much. Due to this, there was a point in my life where I was afraid to even face people. I would lock myself in the house and would not come outside. Life was really bad, but I am hoping for better days.”

Despite these challenges, Setlhabela has decided to turn his life around.

“I have since realised that taking my own life is not an answer to the difficult life I am living. I believe I can survive these obstacles and ultimately someone out there will help me realise my dreams of becoming a writer and getting a job.”
Statistics show that nine out of ten South Africans who commit suicide suffer from a mental disorder.

The World Health Organisation predicts that depression will be the most common illness by 2020. Thus, there is a need to improve access to mental health services at all levels of care including primary, secondary and tertiary.

The assistant manager for mental health and substance abuse programmes at the Free State Department of Health, Johan Msibi, said prioritisation of effective mental health care services by managers at all levels of care is of paramount importance if the province and the country is committed to the re-engineering and restructuring of health services. He believes the Free State government will turn the corner as far as the treatment of mental health illnesses is concerned.

Cheaper for government to treat mental illness
The indirect costs of mental illness far outweigh the costs of providing care

It is cheaper to set up effective mental health care services than trying to save by not having such services

The emotional burden of untreated family member on other family members cannot be calculated if the mental care system fails and families have to compensate

Benefits of treatment
Cheaper to treat mental illness than to not treat it

High cost to economy in terms of absenteeism and decreased productivity

Treating mental illness has clear economic benefits for the sufferer and family

Psychiatric treatment is more cost efficient than other medical treatment