Being in prison can result in depression and other mental conditions. At Westville Prison in Durban, a support group of prisoners is using the art of drawing and painting to help them deal with their incarceration and to transform themselves. With the help of LifeLine Durban, the inmates now have their work showing at Constitution Hill, in Johannesburg.
Read More » Rehabilitating through art
The health indicators, which provide a snapshot of our nation's health, still paint a picture of a violent, racially divided country where women bear the brunt of disease.
Read More » Living and dying in SA
South Africa has a serious problem with mental disorders linked to substance abuse, according to the first stress and health study released yesterday (Wednesday).
Read More » South Africans suffer high rate of substance-linked mental disorders
Around a quarter of South Africans could suffer from mental illness each year, while HIV/AIDS is systematically undermining all the health gains made in the post-apartheid era, according to the SA Health Review.
Read More » Health trends 2006HIV often affects the mental health of people living with the virus. Yet many health workers are either unaware of this or too busy to do anything about it.
Read More » Mental disorders widespread in people with HIV
Psychiatric patients have been long neglected by the health system and hidden from the public eye. Recently, a commission of enquiry heard evidence of gross abuses, including sexual and physical abuse, of psychiatric patients by staff at Townhill Hospital in Pietermaritzburg.
Read More » Mental Health in need of a boostMental illness is wide-spread and often undiagnosed, with the World Health Organisation estimating that 450-million people worldwide suffer mental illness.
Read More » What is mental illness?
Huge staff shortages put pressure on community clinics.
Read More » Psychiatric clinics battle to meet demand
Despite huge staff shortages, Chris Hani Baragwanath's psychiatric wards provide some relief for the mentally ill.
Read More » Bara psychiatric staff do their best to stabilise acute patientsMelleril, one of the oldest drugs prescribed for schizophrenia, has been voluntarily withdrawn following ongoing reports that it affected the heart's rhythm with unconfirmed reports of deaths.
Read More » Schizophrenia drug withdrawn after fatal reportsThe threat of HIV infection poses a great communication challenge for relationships today. The need for more open and honest talk becomes even more crucial. But what does one do when the other party is not willing to engage?
Read More » Facing our fears
Living with AIDS #196
Overburdened and under-resourced, William Slater Centre is the only public institution of its kind that helps problem teens in the Western Cape.
Read More » A safe haven for troubled teensThe World Health Organization estimates that about 450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioural problems. This happens despite the existence of effective treatment for most mental disorders. In South Africa, severe staff shortages result in a ratio of one psychiatrist to 150 000 people according to South African Society of Psychiatrists. In Poffader in the Northern Cape, Stanley Basson is a Professional Nurse who cares for psychiatric patients as best he can.
Read More » Mental health under pressureAlthough October was Mental Health Awareness month in South Africa, Professor Margaret Nair of the Psychiatric Department at Nelson Mandela School of Medicine says mental health is still stigmatised by government, communities, medical aids and media who often resort to sensational headlines. Professor Nair stresses that disorders like depression, anxiety, dementia, schizophrenia, substance abuse and eating disorders can affect anyone and need to be understood by society at large. Thandeka Teyise compiled this report.
Read More » Stigma is the main stumbling block to success of mental health treatmentSurvivors of violence in the developing world are unlikely to respond to western interventions based on individual counselling. This is according to a study conducted in Angola amongst displaced people living in Huila province, the results of which are published in the latest Lancet.
Read More » Western counselling not appropriate
