Since October has been declared Mental Health Awareness Month, the Centre for Student Counselling and Development ( CSCD) at the University of Limpopo (UL) has embarked on a campaign to raise awareness of mental health
According to Lerato Madileng, Clinical Psychologist/Student Counsellor at CSCD, the campaign aims to raise awareness and educate the public about mental health issues.
Madileng believes that mental health is a global issue that can affect anyone’s emotional and psychological well-being without them even realising it. She emphasised the importance of raising awareness and debunking some common misconceptions about mental health.
People living with this condition, which has a significant impact on their emotional and physical well-being, she claims, have been linked to various mental health myths.
Madileng believes that raising awareness will help dispel myths about mental illness, including that it is a sign of weakness, shame, always something negative, and/or something that one can choose to have.
These myths, according to Madileng, are exaggerated by some ethnic cultural beliefs, “influenced by the past, when our ancestors believed mental illness was the result of witchcraft.” Madileng says this has influenced people to hide their diagnosis after being diagnosed with cognitive-related conditions.
The awareness campaign will focus on various de-stigmatisations, as well as mental health and mental illness, to improve relationships with people who are cognitively challenged. Also, this is to encourage positive support for people with psychosocial disabilities, including cognitive disabilities, across the country and in the university community. Another aim is to ensure that everyone in the university community is knowledgeable about this matter.
Madileng stated that the university community was not immune to mental health issues. When she visited health facilities, she observed that three out of ten students showed signs of mental illness. She believes that students are more likely to develop mental illnesses as a result of their academic difficulties. “Unfortunately, a student who is depressed due to poor academic progress mostly has underlying issues contributing to the mental health, but they go undiagnosed due to the stigma attached to the condition,” Madileng explained.
Madileng has urged the community to seek help from CSCD if they are experiencing the following symptoms: inability to attend to self-care (hygiene), which refers to a person who used to be neat and all of a sudden does not care about hygiene; isolation, which is one of the most common symptoms as one tends to isolate themselves from friends, social activities including sports, a person who used to be bubbly all of a sudden tends to be shy, a person who used to be out teetotaler all of a sudden they drink and use other intoxicating substances and having a sense of irritability to mention just a few.
According to Dr. Makololo Mogane Director at CSCD, in South Africa, five people suffer from mental disorders whereas 75% of these people don’t receive any kind of mental health care or support. Globally, an estimated 400million people worldwide suffer from mental disorders. Dr. Mogane went further to say the Covid-19 pandemic has surely contributed to the increase in mental issues and “this awareness campaign allows all of us to acknowledge the importance of good mental health, learn how to identify the signs of mental health illness, and educate ourselves on finding the right solutions,” Dr. Mogane stated.
The campaign trail began/kicked off with activation by tying green cloths on various trees around campus.
By Reuben Maake