When it comes to dealing with mental health, one of the most crucial steps to take is to avoid self-diagnosis.
According to Cassey Chambers, operations director of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), attempting to label or treat oneself without professional help can be dangerous and also lead to delays in getting effective care.
“It’s crucial to get the right treatment from a mental health professional. Medication alone is not enough – there has to be therapy as well and the right guidance from a trained professional," she says.
“I think we have to take it seriously that mental illness is a real illness. It requires real treatment and real diagnosis.”
Depression and other mental-related illnesses can manifest in many ways, says Chambers.
Common symptoms include persistent low mood, headaches, back pain, extreme fatigue, anger, changes in sleep patterns and loss of appetite. Recognising these symptoms early can help individuals take the necessary steps toward seeking help before their mental health deteriorates further.
Men in SA have a tendency to internalise their struggles
— Cassey Chambers, Sadag operations director
Chambers says Sadag receives an alarming 3,000 calls per day from individuals who are either contemplating suicide, struggling with depression or facing a range of other mental health challenges.
She says the most distressing calls come from teenagers who are contemplating suicide because they feel neglected.
Chamber says parents should look out for signs such as their child withdrawing socially, neglecting schoolwork and losing interest in activities they once enjoyed, such as sports.
“Our counsellors provide free telephonic counselling and make referrals to hospitals, NGOs, shelters or rehabilitation centres depending on the need,” she says
Chambers says typically the ages of the majority of young people who contact Sadag are between 19 and 30.
“Most callers are females but sometimes they’re not even calling for themselves,” she says, “they’re calling on behalf of a friend, family member or intimate partner who is struggling.”
She says the fact that women sometimes call on behalf of men highlights a critical aspect of mental health in SA: that men have a tendency to internalise their struggles and to keep them to themselves.
“Men don’t talk about their feelings,” she says, “they don’t speak up about their struggles until it becomes a crisis. So, when men do call us, their situations are often more serious.”
Sadag is SA’s only suicide helpline and one of the few organisations that offers free mental health counselling.
Its mission is to provide support for individuals battling depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, offering hope when it often seems like there is none.
At the heart of Sadag’s operations is its team of volunteers, who work from an office in Sandton, Johannesburg. This dedicated group of individuals answers phone calls, texts and online messages, offering support to those in need. One such volunteer is Lebohang Mokoena, the volunteer training coordinator, who plays a crucial role in ensuring that both the callers and the volunteers receive the help they need.
“For us it’s like being paramedics for people who are overwhelmed and don’t know what to do,” Mokoena says. “So, our end [goal] is mainly to be the help that is available when needed, so we guide them on what to do.”
She says one call that continues to stand out in her memory is a call she received in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It was a suicide call. The caller had reached a point where she said, ‘I can’t do this anymore’.
“I realised that she had called not looking for solutions from us; she just wanted someone to listen, and because she was a professional, there was a stigma [attached to the way she was feeling].
“There was an expectation to say, ‘You are a professional; you should know how to deal with your problems,’ and she said, ‘Listen, I just need someone to listen.’
“That’s what I did for her, and at the end of the call, she had completely forgotten that she was suicidal.
“That call still holds a special space in my heart,” says Mokoena.
As Chambers and Mokoena point out, raising awareness about the importance of mental health and providing accessible, effective support is key to reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness.
October is Mental Health Awareness Month in SA. The month is aimed at creating awareness about mental health, and Mokoena’s message is that people should be allowed to not feel okay.
“Let’s not have that stigma that says you are not allowed to feel depressed because ‘you have a good life’.
“That is not the point; the point is to be supportive, and it would be great for the public to break that stigma [that people with ‘a good life’ can’t be depressed] and be there for people who are going through a tough time.”
Both Mokoena and Chambers stress the need to break the need to break stigmas surrounding mental health and to get the necessary help.
To reach out to Sadag, one can dial their toll-free number on 0800-567-567 or WhatsApp them on 076-882-2775.
Sowetan
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