A South African Stress and Health (SASH) study found that approximately 30% of South Africans will have a psychiatric condition at some point in their lifetime. Prevalence rates were found to be the highest in the Western Cape and Free State.
Anxiety disorders are the most common disorders, followed by substance use disorders and mood disorders, particularly major depression.
Compared to studies in 14 other countries, South Africa had the second highest prevalence for substance use disorders, sixth highest for anxiety disorders and seventh highest for mood disorders.
The effects of stress
During times of stress people often feel that they are out of control and turn to alcohol or drugs to help them cope or to help them forget about their problems. It is usually women who reach out for help during times of stress while men tend to bottle up their feelings, says the South African Depression and Anxiety Group.
The majority of men who phone through to helplines cite the economy as the main reason for why they are feeling depressed. Economic changes and social stressors such as an uncertain future, crime and social upheaval are contributing factors to changes in drug and alcohol trends.
Treatment
While most people will not hesitate to visit a doctor for a physical ailment, the opposite might be true when they suspect that there might be a psychological problem. Yet a third of visits to doctors are in actual fact for psychological and not physical illnesses.
One of the greatest obstacles to preventing mental illness, and improving services and treatment, is ignorance. Many people feel ashamed or guilty that they are not coping, or might feel that the simple solution is to “pull themselves together”.
According to the Medical Research Council about 75% of South Africans with a mental disorder are note receiving any form of treatment. Of those who receive treatment, the majority (35.5%) are treated by their GP’s.
Sources: Health24, Scienceinafrica.co.za
Health calendar: July
Mental Illness Awareness Month
11 World Population Day
Depression can affect anyone
Epicentre News Desk:
Lonmin receives award for their Workplace Programme
Lonmin recently received a commendation at the 2010 Global Business Coalition (GBC) Excellence in Business Awards for its HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme. The programme, developed and implemented by Epicentre, was chosen for its integrated approach to disease prevention and its strong employee engagement component wherein employees are encouraged to become “co-owners” of the HIV/AIDS programme and not just participants.
Strong foundation
The GBC commented on the Epicentre programme’s strong foundation – a comprehensive non-discrimination policy, lifetime guaranteed treatment for employees living with HIV, integrated TB prevention and treatment and the provision of voluntary counselling and testing onsite.
Employees are further educated about how to reduce their risk of contracting HIV and to date, Lonmin has distributed three million condoms.
Innovation and care
Lonmin provides treatment and care for HIV/AIDS and TB to Lonmin employees and their families. Community members can also access the treatment and care facilities through three Lonmin-run clinics and a home-based care program. The program’s success is largely due to a close partnership between the company and the International Finance Corporation, which provides technical support and partial funding.
Lonmin is also innovating in areas outside the workplace: The company has partnered with a consortium of eight global mining companies to fund the development of a new HIV therapeutic vaccine.
Critical success factors
The GBC identified two critical factors that contribute to Lonmin’s successful Workplace Programme:
• Making employees “co-owners” of HIV programmes
Employees are consistently engaged in the planning and development of the company’s policies, programmes and monitoring tools, ensuring that they are truly “co-owners” and not just participants. Employees also have the opportunity to take a “hands on” role as peer health educators, first receiving training on HIV and TB prevention and treatment, and then training their peers within the workplace.
• Providing home-based care
A central piece of Lonmin’s care programme is a home-based care initiative, through which 58 caretakers visit nearly 2,000 HIV/AIDS- and TB-affected patients in their homes to provide treatment and care. Those patients are employees and their families as well as community members – including 640 orphans and vulnerable children.
The work of the GBC
The GBC is at the heart of a movement that is closing gaps and increasing impact in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. With this goal in mind, GBC is turning business assets into disease-fighting assets.
Currently nearly 200 companies comprise the Coalition, enabling members to link up with a network built for action and achievement.
Company profile: Lonmin
Lonmin Plc is the world’s third-largest platinum producer, with operations centred in the Marikana area within South Africa’s North West Province. Lonmin also has operations in South Africa’s Limpopo and Gauteng Provinces and employs approximately 32 120 people, including contractors.
World Population Day
World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues.
The event was established in 1989 by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme and was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987 – approximately the date on which the world's population reached five billion people.
The numbers game
The total world population is currently just below seven billion, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It is projected to increase to between nine and ten billion by the year 2050 with India overtaking China in sheer size of population. Together these two countries will account for over a third of the global population.
The largest rate of increase will be in Africa where numbers are expected to double to two billion. This is largely due to the fertility rates in African countries where more than 20 countries currently have a total fertility rate (TFR – the number of children predicted for each woman) of more than five.
According to the British society Oneworld there is undoubtedly a strong correlation between high national fertility rates and measures of poverty.
Effect of population growth
The Earth has entered the Anthropocene Era in which humans are a dominating environmental force. Population growth is having a significant impact on food supplies and the environment with poor to fresh water expected to nearly double with population growth.
As the population of the world grows, so do our demand for food and thus the need for large scale agriculture, which in turn demands fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides for crops as well as large confined animal facilities to raise livestock.
"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can seriously help another without helping himself." - Charles Dudley Warner
Support groups are a great way to pool the collective experiences, coping skills and knowledge of others “who have been there”. In order to be successful you need to identify a specific focus that your support group can address, for example working mothers, people who are trying to lose weight, or a few of you who have stopped smoking.
5 steps to get you started:
1. If possible, don’t reinvent the wheel If you already have a similar group in your organisation, try to rather pool your resources.
2. Consider the logistics You can recruit members through the bulletin board or by posting a sign in the canteen at work. Choose a venue that is central to all your members and pick a time that will suit most members.
3. Prevent drop-out Many people will start off very keen, but eventually drop out due to lack of interest. Keep your members active and interested by inviting guest speakers to some of your meetings and give members the opportunity to share their own experiences and knowledge.
4. Share the responsibility Don’t take on all the responsibility – rather delegate tasks by appointing a coordinator and secretary. Sharing responsibilities within the group will also give more people the change to become involved in the group.
5. Remain focused Your support group was started for a reason: keep focus and don’t start seeing your meetings as mere social gatherings.
Sources: Wikihow, mentalhelp.net, Health24
- Programme set-up, Training & Policy Development
- Education & Awareness
- Peer Education Training, Toolkits & Coaching
- VCT & Health assesment interventions
- Employee support programmes
- Research
Copyright Epicentre. All rights reserved. | www.epicentre.org.za Tel:+ 27 11 482 4426 / 7 Fax:+27 11 482 3076
