This month of July is Mental Health Awareness Month.
An investigation into the mental health status of South Africans has found that one third of the nation suffers from mental illness and about 75% of them will not get help.
More than 17 million people in the country are dealing with mental health issues including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia and substance abuse.
However, the Department of Health spends only 4% – or R9.3bn – of its budget on addressing mental health illnesses.
SA has world’s 8th highest suicide rate with 23 deaths a day. Suicide is South Africa’s third biggest cause of unnatural deaths after murder and motor vehicle accidents, according to experts.
SADAG has decided to kickstart this mental health with the “I AM” campaign. For more info on this organization and what they do, go to www.sadag.org