MHM Magazine

medication for patients living with chronic mental illnesses such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Life Esidimeni highlighted the massive flaws in the mental health system. Fortunately, because of the advocacy and awareness at a national level, key investigations into the tragedy, namely the Ombudsman’s Report, Arbitration Hearing and Award, the South African Human Rights Council Report into the State of Mental Health. These have all been important steps into documenting the issues across the country. Investigations and reports such as these provide recommendations for provincial and national governments, advocacy groups, residential facilities and mental healthcare workers to deliver better quality of care for mental health issues but unfortunately, not much has changed since these reports have been released. Sadly, even less accountability since. How much worse must the mental health system get before we see mental health being prioritised? 5 years later, I’m sure many people wonder why we still talk about Life Esidimeni; people must be getting bored of us saying the same thing over and over again. A psychologist recently said “You talk, talk and talk until someone listens” and this is what we need to do to combat these issues in South Africa. We have to remember the lives lost, the stories of these people who could have been our loved ones, mothers, brothers, sisters and uncles. We have to share the journeys of these families to try to navigate the mental health system, we have to continue talking about the failed mental health system and how it continues to fail people in our communities every single day. We have to talk about it, and continue talking about it until someone listens. We can never forget; it can never happen again. If we remember Life Esidimeni every day, then surely we won’t allow it to happen again. We can all be part of the solution to fix the mental health system so that it never happens again. WHAT NOW? So, why is improving the mental health system now more important than ever? Why is it important to turn mental health awareness into action? The National Health Budget was recently cut, which would mean even less money allocated to mental health. The recent SAHRC report to Parliament in December 2020 highlights the significant issues within mental health facilities in each province. It also reports serious human rights issues and gives very clear recommendations which need to be taken seriously and actioned by provincial and national governments. The National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan expired in 2020, and needs to be updated and updated quickly. Most importantly, it also needs to be budgeted for so it can be implemented on the ground. What we want to avoid is to sit with a nice policy on paper, but one that leaves the people not able to benefit from the policy. For the Life Esidimeni family members, there is an upcoming Inquest in the Pretoria High Court in July. This is an important step towards accountability and finding answers from those who were responsible for the lives lost. Additionally, the launch of the Life Esidimeni online memorial and advocacy project ensures we don’t forget the people who died. Through the website, we’re able to give everyone needing access to treatment or care, or needing to report issues at hospitals, clinics, professionals or NGOs a pathway to better care. We can give those who can’t cope with mental health a clear pathway to report issues in care and get help – before it’s too late. We must ensure that Life Esidimeni never happens again. As we embark on the beginning of Covid-19’s third wave, we urgently need a mental health strategy to mitigate the impact and long term risks on mental health. We know from global research, a third of patients with, or who have had, Covid-19 will develop mental illness or psychological distress. It’s then critical that we have a strategy to mitigate this impact in South Africa. We don’t currently have a system that can deal with this influx of people needing access to mental healthcare or treatment; we’re barely managing the demand as it currently stands. NEXT STEPS An important step in mental health awareness and advocacy is to make the shift from awareness to mental health action. We need to encourage and empower people to take action, for themselves, their loved ones, for systemic changes needed to improve our social and mental wellbeing. It’s time to change how we treat mental health in our culture, communities, politics and in our policy – and quickly. No longer can we wait for government to fix the mental health system, we have been waiting for five years already and there hasn’t been much change. Change starts from the ground up. It starts with you and me. We owe it to the 144+ who died and those that survived. We owe it to everyone else accessing mental health services every single day and for the many more who are too afraid to speak up or don’t even know where to even begin to get help. With one in three South Africans who will in their lifetime, or do currently have a mental illness, we need to make drastic changes to mental healthcare in South Africa. These people are us, our loved ones, neighbours, colleagues, partners and our children. It starts with empowering people to be able to access treatment and directing them to the right resources, and helping them when they hit the inevitable roadblocks. It starts with educating teachers and parents on mental health in adolescents so they can help identify the warning signs and know how to get help. It starts with giving people a platform to report mental health issues or complaints via helplines, email, online platforms or SMS. It starts by encouraging more people to share their mental health stories so we can break the stigma and shame associated with mental health, and in doing this, normalise mental health. It starts by empowering everyone to be advocates for mental health and be part of the change so we can advocate for better policies, better budgets and strategies that are patient centred – for the people by the people. There is no health without mental health. We will never forget – we won’t allow others to forget either.  References available upon request Issue 3 | 2021 | MENTALHEALTHMATTERS | 3 MHM