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Apathy, poverty and extreme violence in the absence of emotional and structural support has driven young people to the edge, with experts warning of increased cases of depression amongst the youth.
With 46% youth unemployment, trauma as result of the high crime rate, anxiety and frustration due to Covid-19 restrictions and deaths, South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) has seen a spike in bipolar, schizophrenia and depression amongst young people.
At least 60% of people who commit suicide in SA are depressed, with Sadag director Cassey Chambers saying it was therefore alarming that the majority of calls they receive for psychological help were young, from people as young as seven.
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“Unemployment is one contributing factor but it is a multifaceted challenge that young people face today. There is the high crime rate, trauma as a result of extreme violence that young people are exposed to or experience and then now we have Covid-19, which can be pretty difficult for young people as they are used to be out there with no restrictions,” she said.
Chambers said unlike the youth of 1976 that knew the enemy that was the system, young people today faced a variety of problems that they have no control over and, with little or no support, find themselves unable to navigate.
“It is a big concern. Young people today are more depressed, traumatised and this is a big concern. There are still issues of racism that they have to deal with, bullying as well as the age of social media, which can be really toxic. We have seen the age of onset for bipolar, schizophrenia and depression getting lower. The youngest suicide victim is six today and this tells you that It is really hard to be a young person today,” she said.
Chambers said there was an urgent need for mental illness support for young people at schools, clinics and emotional support at home.
She said the positive out of all the challenges that young people faced was that they were vocal and expressed their feelings as well needs.
“This is why we need to engage them more, let them speak so that we understand what they need and how to respond to challenges they face,” she added.
Senior public administration lecturer at University of Mpumalanga Dr John Molepo echoed Sadag’s concern that mental illness was a ticking time bomb manifested by the high rate of alcohol and drug abuse among young people.
“It is a big challenge because young people are killing themselves or engage in destructive behaviour in large numbers. It is because of dejection, they continue to be discriminated at school because of the colour of their skin and texture of their hair. They are going through traumatic experiences and that is a lot for them,” he said.
Molepo said state support structures that were supposed to alleviate the plight of young people were not doing enough, saying if the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) was delivering on its mandate, youth unemployment would not be this high.
Independent socio-economist Solly Masilela said SA had failed its young people and had killed its future, saying all the noble programmes of affirmative action had not benefitted young people.
“Young people were told to go to school to create opportunities for themselves but they are sitting at home with those qualifications because there are no jobs. The youth of 1976 operated under a very oppressive system and the youth of today operates under a depressive system. I actually find the youth of today worst off,” he said.
Art director at Isiba Youth Centre, Lucky Mkhabela, said young people were inspired but not empowered, saying they had a fruitful relationship with the NYDA but said it was not enough.
“Young people know what they want and how to get there but there are just very few opportunities. All we get are crumbs in the form of casual work. That is not sustainable and leads to anxiety and frustrations,” he said.
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