STATE of the NATION

In June this year, the Department of Health revealed that more than 6.5 million South Africans need professional mental health intervention...

- LEANDRI DE KOCK

It's difficult to put mental I health into one neat category. Instead, it's best referred to as an umbrella term for mental illnesses, mental awareness and emotional well-being. Your mental health further explains how effective your daily activities function - how productive you are at work or school, how healthy your relationships are, and how you can adapt and grow from adverse situations.

How well all these elements function together determines whether you are likely to be diagnosed with a mental-health illness. But it's not always that simple, and it's not something people are open to talk about or would even like to admit, which means that some people suffer in silence without ever getting the right help. Not getting the appropriate diagnosis, treatment and support can result in a broken foundation that we cannot mend alone. Your self-esteem suffers, your communication, learning and thinking skills are put in jeopardy and ultimately your relationships and emotional well-being bear the weight of it, or just can't cope. What we're seeing in South Africa is not just scary, but extremely alarming, and our younger generation is starting to suffer the most.

A LOOMING CRISIS