The cost of Tik addiction
Drug use in general can be a costly habit. Richard, who recently discovered the highly addictive drug known in the Western Cape as 'tik', has learnt this the hard way.
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Mental Health
Treatment is vital in managing Bipolar Disorder
We all have our ups and downs, but if you live with bipolar disorder, these mood swings are more severe. However, if treated properly, the disorder can be well managed.
Read More » Treatment is vital in managing Bipolar Disorder
A deadly combination of HIV & alcoholism
Excessive use of alcohol is not advised in people taking AIDS medication as it may counteract the effect of the drugs. Elizabeth Xaba is proof of this.
Read More » A deadly combination of HIV & alcoholism
Life with two mental disorders
A 60 year-old Johannesburg woman gives us a glimpse of what it's like to live with two stigmatising mental disorders.
Read More » Life with two mental disorders
Alzheimer’s disease: Virginia’s story
Phakamile Magamdela recently visited Virginia O'Grady, a widowed 82 year-old who now lives at a retirement village in Johannesburg under the careful supervision of care-givers. Virginia has Alzheimer's disease.
Read More » Alzheimer’s disease: Virginia’s story
Living with an attention deficit disorder
A 25 year-old Johannesburg man shares his story of growing up with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and how he overcame the challenges associated with the condition, turning his life into a success story.
Read More » Living with an attention deficit disorderTherapy difficult in ‘fragmented reality’ of xenophobia victims
Our experience of working with the victims of xenophobia, displaced from their homes and staying in refugee camps and a church hall, was that it was an unpredictable, messy, uncoordinated and fragmented reality, with no place and no space for employing well-intended treatments and therapies. In these situations of ongoing, cumulative, and present trauma, what we could offer was the continuity of our mindful presence.
So write seven Cape Town psychotherapists in a recent paper.
Read More » Therapy difficult in ‘fragmented reality’ of xenophobia victims
Tracking the MDGs
While South Africa has made some progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), mental health and poverty remain major challenges, according to public hearings on the MDGs hosted by the SA Human Rights Commission.
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‘Mental health is an overlooked priority’, commission told
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has heard that mental health is an overlooked priority. This was said at the Commission's recent public hearings focusing on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the realisation of economic and social rights in South Africa.
Read More » ‘Mental health is an overlooked priority’, commission told
Unveiling one of the many faces of the mysterious Autism
Mental conditions and illnesses manifest themselves in different and complicated ways. One of them is the mysterious Autism, a developmental disorder that strikes from a young age.
Read More » Unveiling one of the many faces of the mysterious Autism
The link between HIV and Depression
When HIV enters the body, it predisposes the person to several mental illnesses, one of which is Depression. This report explores the link between HIV and depression.
Read More » The link between HIV and Depression
Hogan’s advisory committee faces serious challenges
Health Minister Barbara Hogan recently established an Interim Advisory Committee, to help the Health Department in improving quality of care, to guarantee patient safety and to strengthen infection control measures in the public health care system.
Read More » Hogan’s advisory committee faces serious challenges
How the Free State ARV moratorium breached the Constitution
The government has violated the Constitution by imposing a moratorium on the roll-out of antiretroviral drugs, for new HIV/AIDS patients in the Free State, the AIDS Law Project recently told a civil society gathering in Bloemfontein.
Read More » How the Free State ARV moratorium breached the Constitution
Suicide prevention through Mental Health First Aid
First Aid is a very well known and important procedure in society. But, Mental Health First Aid is something new in this country. It was imported from Australia where it was developed. South African experts identified the need for this program as a result of rising numbers of cases of patients with mental illnesses.
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Mental illnesses ignored
The primary health care system is failing South African communities in desperate need of mental health services for common conditions such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress and school-related problems.
Read More » Mental illnesses ignored