The increased awareness of mental health problems has also resulted in people presenting at healthcare facilities seeking help.
Price from Weltevreden Park, west of Johannesburg suffers from Bipolar 2 disorder. She was diagnosed when she was in her early 20s. She’s had six nervous breakdowns and has been hospitalised three times. Price says Bipolar two sufferers struggle with depressive moods. According to the Gauteng Health Department, at Helen Joseph hospital alone – as of January this year – the hospital treated 876 patients at the Emergency unit compared to 80 in January last year. The increase in mental health patients is attributed to a number of factors, including socio-economic hardships which have been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and large-scale use and abuse of illegal substances.
Schoeman says more resources should be made available and awareness campaigns intensified to deal with the scourge
Im a former carpenter I got retrenched in 2020. Im struggling to find employment. My children often cry themselves to sleep because they sleep hungry😭. I don't feel like a man because of that💔. I ask for any food nearing their expiry date🙏🏻