YOUNG PEOPLE AND MENTAL HEALTH IN A CHANGING WORLD

Adolescence and the early years of adulthood are a time of life when many changes occur, for example changing schools, leaving home, and starting university or a new job. For many, these are exciting times. They can also be times of stress and apprehension however. In some cases, if not recognized and managed, these feelings can lead to mental illness. The expanding use of online technologies, while undoubtedly bringing many benefits, can also bring additional pressures, as connectivity to virtual networks at any time of the day and night grows. Many adolescents are also living in areas affected by humanitarian emergencies such as conflicts, natural disasters and epidemics. Young people living in situations such as these are particularly vulnerable to mental distress and illness.

Half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14

Half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14, but most cases go undetected and untreated. In terms of the burden of the disease among adolescents, depression is the third leading cause. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. Harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs among adolescents is a major issue in many countries and can lead to risky behaviours such as unsafe sex or dangerous driving. Eating disorders are also of concern.

Credit: WHO /Sergey Volkov

Growing recognition of the importance of building mental resilience

Fortunately, there is a growing recognition of the importance of helping young people build mental resilience, from the earliest ages, in order to cope with the challenges of today’s world. Evidence is growing that promoting and protecting adolescent health brings benefits not just to adolescents’ health, both in the short- and the long-term, but also to economies and society, with healthy young adults able to make greater contributions to the workforce, their families and communities and society as a whole.

Prevention begins with better understanding

Much can be done to help build mental resilience from an early age to help prevent mental distress and illness among adolescents and young adults, and to manage and recover from mental illness. Prevention begins with being aware of and understanding the early warning signs and symptoms of mental illness. Parents and teachers can help build life skills of children and adolescents to help them cope with everyday challenges at home and at school. Psychosocial support can be provided in schools and other community settings and of course training for health workers to enable them to detect and manage mental health disorders can be put in place, improved or expanded.

Investment by governments and the involvement of the social, health and education sectors in comprehensive, integrated, evidence-based programmes for the mental health of young people is essential. This investment should be linked to programmes to raise awareness among adolescents and young adults of ways to look after their mental health and to help peers, parents and teachers know how to support their friends, children and students. This is the focus for this year’s World Mental Health Day.

Source: www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/2018/en/

As students, and especially as medical students, you will know that depression is a clinical, biological disease, and that as with other illnesses, it can develop into a fatal, final stage.

At Varsity Sports we take mental health seriously. Athletes need to be in the ‘right’ headspace on and off the field in order to achieve their best. Physical fitness is not enough to perform on the sports field, mental fitness and preparedness is important too.

In 2018 Varsity Sports, together with the Ithemba Foundation will take the lead in the discussion around mental health in South Africa and play a proactive role in raising awareness about mental health. SpeakUP encourages everyone to speak up about Mental Health. The message is clear; we are here to inform the public about mental health and we’re encouraging our athletes to get involved in spreading the message.

Overall campaign objective:

The overall objective of the campaign is that mental health should be normalised and humanised, and more specifically that sports people will handle mental health issues the way they handle physical injuries.

Key objectives are:

• Educate Varsity Sports core audience (athletes) about the importance of mental health.
• Raise awareness of the importance to speak about mental health.
• Inform broader student audience of where they can find assistance to deal with mental health issues.

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The Mental Health Information Centre of SA supports the Varsity Sports SpeakUP initiative

Young adulthood is a time of increased risk for developing a range of serious behavioural and mental health problems. Many university students experience difficulties with psychological problems, including psychotic illnesses, depression, anxiety disorders and substance use problems. Left untreated, these disorders can have a negative impact on development, motivation and attainment, leading to university drop out and academic failure. Research suggests that three-quarters of all mental disorders begin by the time people are 24 years old.

In South Africa (SA) as many as 12% of university students suffer from symptoms of depression and 15% report clinically significant symptoms of anxiety. Studies indicate that approximately 50% of SA university students abuse substances, most commonly alcohol.

A recent survey of US university students conducted by the American College Health Association revealed that 44% of students reported having felt “so depressed it was difficult to function” at some point in the past 12 months.

Mental health problems have a serious impact on academic attainment and lead to problems such as academic failure and university attrition. Some reports suggest that as many as half of students who enrol at SA universities never finish their degrees. The reasons for this high dropout rate are poorly understood which makes it difficult for universities to plan effective interventions.  There is, however, little doubt that untreated and poorly managed psychological problems contribute to high dropout rates.

Very few students with mental health problems receive minimally adequate mental health treatment. In countries like SA less than 10% of university students with mental health care problems receive psychological treatment.

There is a marked lack of reliable local data about the risk factors for psychological problems, the trajectory of mental illness among university students and effective interventions to promote psychological health on SA university campuses.

Researchers from Stellenbosch University (SU) and UCT are busy with a WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student project (WMH-ICS), an international multi-site longitudinal research project to gather data about the risk factors for mental illness and identify possible interventions to promote the wellbeing of university students.

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Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder, or TTM) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by pulling hair from one or more body areas, resulting in hair loss, distress and even functional impairment. Hair-pulling may serve an emotion regulation function (i.e. stimulating when under-stimulated or bored, and soothing when over-stimulated or upset). This project aims to investigate the phenomenon of emotional regulation and its link with stress and trauma in people with TTM.

We are inviting people with TTM as well as healthy individuals, 18 years or older, to take part in our research study. To be included as a healthy participant, the individual must have no history of mental illness (e.g. depression).

If you are interested, your participation will include an interview with a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist and referral for treatment, if indicated. Participation is voluntary and confidential, and you can withdraw at any time. The interviews will take place at the MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry at the Tygerberg campus of Stellenbosch University.
Please contact Miss Salome Demetriou (email: 17506549@sun.ac.za; phone: 0764042055) or the principal investigator, Prof Christine Lochner (email: cl2@sun.ac.za; phone: 021 9389179).
Alternatively, you can also visit the following website: http://www.mrc.ac.za/anxiety/anxiety.htm

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October is Mental Health Awareness month. The World Federation for Mental Health’s theme for 2017 is Mental Health in the Workplace.

According to the WFMH, globally:

• 10% of the employed population have taken time off work for depression
• An average of 36 workdays are lost per depression episode
• 50% of people with depression do not receive treatment
• Cognitive symptoms of depression, such as difficulties in concentrating, making decisions and remembering, are present up to 94% of the time during an episode of depression, causing significant impairment in work function and productivity
• Studies have shown that just $1 of investment in treatment for depression and anxiety leads to a return of $4 in better health and ability to work
• 6 in 10 people say poor mental health impacts their concentration at work
• Mental health conditions cost employers more than $100 billion and 217 million lost workdays each year

We are suffering from activity overload, choice overload, debt overload, expectation overload, information overload and work overload. Stress contributes to a myriad of illnesses. Some people exhibit cardiovascular symptoms such as racing pulse or chest pain. Some experience gastro-intestinal problems such as hyperacidity, irritable bowel, or diarrhea. Some develop rashes, tics, headaches, musculoskeletal aches and pains, immunological problems, anxiety, depression or insomnia.

When stress is pushed to the limit, burnout results. Employee absenteeism costs the South African economy between R12 billion and 16 billion annually, a large portion of which can be attributed to workplace stress, burn-out and employee ill health. By addressing mental health issues in the workplace and investing in mental health care for workers, employers can increase productivity and employee retention.

Tips for employees:

• Take responsibility for your own physical and mental wellbeing to ensure greater productivity at work.
• Listen to your body. Recognise signs of stress, burnout or depression and get help early.
• Take annual leave – it is there for a purpose – to reload your batteries.
• Learn healthy coping strategies, such as effective time management.
• Incorporate QUIET periods into your daily schedule.
• Limit time spent on electronic devices.
• Value time with your family.
• Adapt a healthy lifestyle with a balance between work and your private life. Keep work work and home home.

Tips for employers:

• Create an organisational culture that promotes mental and physical wellbeing.
• Address mental health issues in the workplace pro-actively by promoting a workspace, which fosters positive mental health and do not tolerate stigmatisation.
• Educate employees about the benefits of a balanced lifestyle (daily exercise, quiet periods, healthy balanced home-cooked meals, sleep-hygiene, disconnection from technology overload, etc.)
• Inform employees about signs of depression and burnout as well as where to get help if they recognise the symptoms in themselves or a colleague.
• Handle employee information with confidentiality.

Contact the Mental Health Information Centre for more information.

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October, as Mental Health Awareness Month is around the corner. Read more about the Hope Hike and the Hope Bike here.

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