This Youth Day, Life Healthcare, one of South Africa’s leading hospital groups, emphasises the importance of education around childhood and adolescent mental illness in an effort to reduce the stigma and ensure early intervention.
According to the World Health Organisation, worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental illness. Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s. In addition the National Youth at Risk Survey conducted in South Africa, which focuses on children and adolescents between grade eight and 11 highlighted that 24% of the youth surveyed had experienced feelings of depression, feelings of hopelessness and sadness, while a further 21% had attempted suicide at least once.
“A starting point to reduce stigma is with the child and family. When adults accept mental illnesses, it becomes easier for them to talk to others in their immediate social network, neighbourhood and community. The knowledge that mental illness is fairly common and affects anyone helps break the barrier of stigma,” said Dr Ismail Moola, child psychiatrist at Life St Joseph’s based at Life Entabeni Hospital.
While children may exhibit signs of mental illness, it’s important that a mental health professional (psychiatrist and clinical psychologist) makes a full assessment before the appropriate measures are put in place to help manage their illness
“Individual or family psychiatric treatment can help a child toward healthy development, despite the presence of parental psychiatric illness. The mental health professional can help the family work with the positive elements in the home and the natural strengths of the child. With treatment, the family can learn ways to lessen the effects of the parent’s mental illness on the child,” concludes Dr Moola.
Life Healthcare is a leading provider of private psychiatric services in South Africa, currently offering such services at eight dedicated facilities in four provinces; Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.
Treatments offered include evidence-based drug therapy, individual psychiatric consultations and psychotherapy, group therapy and, where needed, physical therapy. Selected Life Mental Health facilities offer an adolescent program that with the main focus of creating a structured environment that will aid in the emotional and behavioural containment of the adolescent patient.
