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Mail & Guardian reports that mental health conditions in SA are deteriorating, particularly among the working class and youth, as socio-economic strains deepen.
Released last week on World Mental Health Day, a survey conducted by the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) found that six in 10 employees wished they could afford to quit their jobs. Half of the respondents said they were unhappy when starting work on a Monday morning, which “could be indicative of the negative work environments they are exposed to”. However, the tough economic conditions — inflation, the high cost of living, job losses and rampant unemployment — made having a job seem like “a privilege”. Despite recognising this, employees still reported feeling “completely stressed out” at work, said Dr Bronwyn Dworzanowski-Venter of the University of Johannesburg, who spoke at the launch of the survey. After Covid-19, Sadag did not see a huge spike in stress, instead, there was an ongoing rise, indicating that people were “consistently troubled”. According to the survey, 52% of those questioned had been medically diagnosed with a mental health condition. The majority of these workers were depressed (32%), clinically stressed (25%), generally anxious (18%) and experiencing burnout (13%). Lindsey Reynolds of Pivot Collective reported that their research indicated that South Africans have a diverse collection of issues, but the youth stood out as a key group suffering from mental health conditions. Dworzanowski-Venter said that, for the working class, the main driver of the stress was too much work for too little pay.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Aarti Bhana at Mail & Guardian
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