MHM Magazine

36 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | Issu3 2 | 2022 MHM Approximately one in seven children have a treatable mental health condition but most will carry the burden through to adulthood due to South Africa’s chronic lack of specialists and facilities to support their unique needs.  The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened already- failing public mental healthcare for the country’s 22 million children and teens, putting their ability to transition to a fulfilling and productive adulthood at risk, said psychiatrist Dr Alicia Porter, a board member of the South By Linda Christensen South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS