Mental illness still taboo
2007-10-10 10:30
Cape Town - Mental illness remains taboo for many people in mainstream society, making integration of patients a seemingly insurmountable battle.
Founder of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) Zane Wilson said recent research had revealed that 47% of patients felt out of place and 45% felt discriminated against.
Based in Johannesburg, Sadag has been around for nearly 12 years and is Africa's "largest and most recognised mental health initiative". The organisation says it's "committed to improving the mental health and well-being of thousands of South Africans".
"When we talk about helping our patients, we don't mean they should just get better. Our aim is to get them totally well again so that they become part of the community and take back control of their lives," Wilson told Sapa on Tuesday.
Services offered
The Cape Mental Health Society (CMHS), a non-profit organisation based in Observatory, Cape Town, also offers services with a view to mainstream society integration. Established in 1913, it offers two services aimed at psychiatric and intellectual disability respectively.
Psychiatric disabilities are classed as "mental and emotional disorders (such as severe depression, schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder) that impair people's ability to cope with their emotions and with the demands of the outside world".
"There are two residential facilities for people who have psychiatric disabilities, " a CMHS staff member told News24. "One is called Garden Cottage and it houses eight women. The other, Kimber House, has 10 beds and is for men and women."
Intellectual disabilities "refers to a significant deficiency in people's cognitive or intellectual functioning and an inability to acquire the skills needed to function in society".
There are four special care centres in the Western Cape for intellectually disabled people under the age of 21. These centres, in Mitchell's Plain, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Bonteheuwel, help children develop their intellectual capabilities, said the CMHS staff member.
For people older than 21, CHMS has five training workshops - one in Mitchell's Plain, two in Athlone, one in Retreat and one in Khayelitsha - that offer various levels of skills development such as basic life skills, advanced life skills and work skills.
Job skills
Once they've developed work skills they move onto "siyaceda" ("we are helping"), which is out of the training workshops. People in siyaceda "are sometimes contracted to do cleaning. They are paid a low income because they get a disability grant and the more they earn the less disability they receive".
"Cape Mental Health Society is also the only organisation in South Africa that has a programme called Save (Sexual Abuse Victim Empowerment) which helps mentally disabled people who have been raped or sexually abused, " said the staff member. She added that mentally disabled victims were very vulnerable and needed to know their rights.