Its special investigation has uncovered the ‘shocking state’ of mental health in SA, reports the [s]Sunday Times[/s]. It writes that one third of all South Africans have mental illnesses – and 75% of them will not get any kind of help. More than 17 million people in South Africa are dealing with depression, substance abuse, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, illnesses that round out the top five mental health diagnoses, according to the [b]Mental Health Federation of South Africa[/b]. Despite the high number, the [b]Department of Health[/b] annually spends only 4% – or R9.3bn – of its budget to address the crisis. This has prompted NGOs such as the [b]South African Depression and Anxiety Group[/b] to refer to mental health as ‘the orphan’ of the healthcare system.
[link url=http://times-e-editions.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/showarticle.aspx?article=cc69d45d-ddaf-4c63-a60d-ac2c6b576453&key=0VVMVs7TvJpayyMvSwRFhw%3d%3d&issue=11072014070600000000001001]Full Sunday Times report[/link]