MHM Magazine

Issue 2 | 2022 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 37 MHM Contributions by Matty van Niekerk, Occupational Therapist, Johannesburg Prof Christoffel Grobler, Psychiatrist, Port Elizabeth Prof Gerhard Grobler, Psychiatrist, Pretoria “It’s ok not to be OK”. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and fatigue are still increasing. In a world often beset with stigma against mental health discussions and ‘admissions’, it’s an incredibly important message. The sad reality is that, especially for the medical professional, being ‘not OK’ is not really an option. Psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists – stigma against the ‘impaired practitioner’ is real. ASSESSING IMPAIRMENT IN HIGHLY FUNCTIONING INDIVIDUALS The Medical Board of Australia (2012) stated that impairment in relation to a person means “the person has a physical or mental impairment, disability, condition or disorder (including substance abuse or dependence) that detrimentally affects or is likely to detrimentally affect the person’s capacity to practise their profession or a student’s capacity to undertake clinical training.” (file:///C:/Users/ ASSESSING & ASSISTING IMPAIRED PRACTITIONER