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SABC News reports that according to the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), SA has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with more than 13,000 suicides each year.
Sadag’s Tracy Feinstein said companies must implement wellness programmes that addressed and supported the mental health needs of employees. “Employers should look at their employee wellness programmes as not just a tick box exercise, but as having wellness days that are driven by the needs of their employees, and to understand the early warning signs of depression and how employees can manage their anxiety with mindfulness and meditation. What are those wellness days needed for and what do the employees need when employers ask what they can do to help? It’s a mutual responsibility,” Feinstein explained. Clinical psychologist Dr Mosa Malema pointed out that mental health remained a taboo topic in many communities where stigma prevented people from seeking professional help. “Culturally, if the approach is very rigid, it can prevent people from receiving holistic care when they actually need it. A person can respond to cultural practices to a certain extent, but they might find they need more help. For example, they might need psychotherapy. Some cultural practices can prevent you from receiving care and can be problematic,” Malema noted.
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