"STOP EXCLUSION ... DARE TO CARE" |
The month of October yearly commemorates Mental Health awareness month with 10 October being celebrated as Mental Health Awareness day. This year's theme as set out by the World Federation for Mental Health emphasized the gap between the care of the mind and the body to achieve a complete state of well being and is therefore appropriately called "The relationship between physical and mental health : Co-occurring disorders".
Mental well being cannot be separated from physical well being. The World Health Organization describes health as " a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of a disease". The 5 areas of health or wellness therefore comprise of:
It is well known that medical illnesses create its own burden of mental illness and it is estimated that depression develops in:
People frequently seek help for physical ailments that may actually be symptoms of depression, such as allergic reactions and ulcers. This important link is often overlooked. Research has shown that depression is a brain disease affecting the structure of the brain. It is thus the same chemistry that affects both the brain and physical illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and others.
The other side of the coin is also true. Persons with Mental Illness have a high risk of developing physical illnesses and some of the factors that increase this risk are alcohol, smoking, drug use, poor diet due to poverty or illness. This also applies to developing infections such as TB and HIV/AIDS. Other factors results directly from treatment itself and can cause effects on the nervous system and metabolic function.
For many mental health care users the accessibility of medical care may be problematic. This may be due to a lack of services, health insurance coverage or financial resources. The other problem may be the result of non-compliance of prescribed psychiatric medication. On the other hand, not all medical clinicians are trained and equipped to treat the psychiatric and psychological symptoms of their patients effectively. The fact that these symptoms present in a "silent" manner other than the physical illnesses, means that it often go undetected in a large proportion of medical patients. The need for longer term treatment with anti-depressants and/or therapy often takes less of a priority than the physical treatment.
The following interventions can be suggested to prioritise mental health aspects of the persons with health problems:
With the above mentioned information in mind the Department of Health's mental health promotional events include the following:
Sports event ( 8 October 2004)
The Mental Health Programme, Department of Health will therefore be hosting a provincial sports day for mental health care users in collaboration with the Department of Sports, Culture and Recreation and other Mental Heath stakeholders such as the Associated Psychiatric hospitals, the Mental Health Information Centre, Kingdom Ministries, Red Cross (TLC). The aim of the day is to make the public aware of the important role a healthy body plays in relation to a healthy mind and to de-stigmatize the negative concept of mental illness. This event will be hosted on the 8 October 2004 at the PENTEC sports field from 9 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. This event is open to the public and Mental Health care users from all sectors ( including Intellectual Disability) will be attending the day. The program includes soccer, netball and volleyball games, physical exercises and a special program for children with disabilities. The program will start with a big walk for all. For more information contact Naseera Saliem on 483 4003.
Academic day - (17 September 2004)
In preparation for the mental health awareness month in October, the Mental Health Programme, in collaboration with the Associated Psychiatric Hospitals usually host an academic day for all mental health professionals. This event is used to support and equip staff to continue rendering a quality care service. This year's event took place on the 17 September 2004 at the Lentegeur Hospital Auditorium and was attended by approximately 100 Mental Health professionals from all over the province. The program included topics such as "Approaching trauma form a cranio-sacral perspective", Can visual art expression be helpful in stress management?". The highlight of the day was neck massages offer by the Western Cape Blind Association.
Contact: Marinda Roelofse
Tel: 021 483 5660