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Mental health and the stigma of patients who suffer from it are of growing concern to health practitioners in the Mitchell's Plain area.
"We want to educate residents about mental illness and break the silence and stigma. Currently, the number of patients admitted for mental illness is increasing. There is a global crisis, but even more so in the Mitchell Plain, it is increasing because of addiction.
"It's also with psychosis. The prevalence is increasing and we want the community to understand what is mental illness and how to deal with a family member who has mental illness. Not to stigmatize or isolate them, but to make them part of the community and know how we can help them get better, "said Ruwayda Hull, occupational therapist at the Mitchell's Plain Department of Health.
"We also want to look at prevention. Today, I am in good health, but that does not mean that I will be tomorrow or forever. I could have a traumatic event and then suffer from a mental illness, so we look at coping mechanisms to help me stay healthy. "
Anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar and substance-induced psychosis are the most common treated mental illnesses in the region, says Hull.
"The signs to watch for are: when personal care stops, isolates and withdraws, stays home from work, monitors their behaviors and becomes different from the norm, as well as common symptoms such as Illusion and hallucinations. If it's a young person, the work often suffers and some do not want to get involved in everyday tasks, "says Hull.
"Behavior is the key. It's not always an aggression, it's a myth, it's one of the biggest labels that people put on mental health patients. "
Candice Vankesteren, a fourth-year occupational therapy student at the University of the Western Cape, had the inspiring idea of becoming an occupational therapist to help overcome stigma and after spending time in a drug rehab facility for patients on the no way out of the establishment.
"When we engage with people with mental illness, the story that comes out is often that they feel isolated and alone. They feel that their family and their community do not understand.
"Looking at the environment in which they would be, if the environment is not healthy, they will relapse or be unable to be healthy," she says.
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