World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day

About 17 million in South Africa suffer and 75% go untreated for Mental Health issues.

According to the World Health Organisation, one in three South Africans will suffer a mental health episode in their lives. Of these, 75% will go untreated. This is an issue that many corporates and businesses still struggle with. Their employees underperforming and not being productive because they are dealing with mental issues.

It said depression, anxiety, mood disorders, post-traumatic stress, substance abuse and bipolar disorder were the most common mental health issues encountered.

Top Five Mental Health Issues

According to the Mental Health Federation of SA, more than 17 million people in South Africa are dealing with depression, substance abuse, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia – illnesses that round out the top five mental health diagnoses.

Doctor Kobus Roux from the SA Society of Psychiatrists said global trends showed there had been a spike in the incidence of depression.

“The health systems are much more refined to pick up depression and more people are aware of it, but we aren’t sure whether the increase in the number is because people who have been depressed wouldn’t have received treatment in the past, and are now seeking treatment,” he said.

Factors that affect our mental health

Abdurahman Kenny, central nervous system portfolio manager at Pharma Dynamics, said the growing incidence of depression and anxiety worldwide implied that there were other factors, too, that made modern-day society more vulnerable to mental illness.

He said trauma, bereavement and post-traumatic stress disorders were all well-known factors that increased one’s risk of depression, however, there were some “surprising every day” factors that affected our mental health that was often overlooked.

Young People & Mental Health in a Changing World
We should be aware that we spend most of our daily hours working. To cope with the possible stressors in the workplace, we need to define our plans to stay healthy. Here are some simple ways to prioritize your mental well-being: Click here to discover why you need the services of a Virtual Admin Assistant. – Typical Tasks Assigned to Virtual Admin Assistants . Maximus Admin Support gives you more time to focus on the big picture by taking care of the little details

“Research shows being stuck in heavy traffic, spending too much time indoors, heavy social media use, lack of movement and even slouching could all be triggers that heighten our risks for mental illness,” he said.

About the author

Douglas Maximus administrator

Douglas Maximus is Founder and CEO of Maximus Admin Support, Africa’s most trusted team of Virtual Administrative Assistants, a company that provide tailor made virtual business solutions support systems that allow the SMEs the peace of mind to focus on the business success. Before starting his business, he spent more than 12 years as company Administrative Officer for an International Leadership Development organisation based in South Africa. After a successful career in the Training, Coaching and Mentoring sector, he and his team now helps entrepreneurs by giving them more time to focus on the big picture by taking care of the little details. Douglas enjoys trying new sports (Table tennis, anyone?) and managing a virtual administrative business. He is available for all basic administrative tasks, private consultations, training, coaching and mentoring. You can reach him at douglas@maxadminsupport.com.