Mental illness is not a weakness or a choice, according to Life Poortview Hospital psychiatrist, Dr Alma Kalaba. She believes that this illness is like any other diagnosis.
Kalaba emphasised the need for awareness and information in communities regarding mental health during an interview with the Roodepoort Northsider on 4 October about the international Mental Health Month.
“We are keen to help. Women are much keener to seek help but men hesitate and think that they are strong and don’t really seek help,” she said.
She believed that society should be educated and mental destigmatised as it is not a choice. “This is an illness like every other illness, like when you have a sore throat and you can be healed.”
Dr Kalaba indicated that there was a need – even in the workplace – to hold sessions and talk about this illness.
She said the first step prior to depression most of the time was stress. “People today are stressed from a financial and work point of view. An hour talk about stress at bigger settings like cooperates can help people to open up,” she said.
She believed that identification and recognition of stress could help avoid depression. She also indicated that government should treat this matter as urgent as it was becoming a serious issue.
“When people suffer from depression and acute stress, the economy also suffers. Imagine how many days people will not go to work while seeking help. Sometimes, with depression, you need about three weeks to get someone feel better.”
According to her, the government should also intervene and ensure that more facilities are being opened to place mentally ill people. She said nurses in the psychiatric fraternity should be educated more as they could offer a lot of support.
“Mental health has been a little bit put on the side. I don’t think a lot of attention has been given to mentally ill people. Sometimes mentally ill people are seen as an outcast of society.”
She further indicated that young people resorted to drugs if not helped as this was a complex problem. “We need a multi-disciplinary, holistic approach involving general practitioners, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and dieticians,” she concluded.
Life Poortview Hospital has a dedicated mental healthcare facility specialising in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Details: Life Poortview Hospital 011 952 3000.
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