“In a deeply unequal society like South Africa, the COVID-19 virus has laid bare an existing mental healthcare service gap and the shocking public health crisis in the country.” These are the reflections of Dr Marion Morkel, Sanlam’s Chief Medical Officer, who also shares how mental health accounted for nearly a fifth of Sanlam’s disability claims in 2020.
Isolation, the loss of loved ones (and often having to grieve alone), and a shift away from the routine of seeing family, friends and colleagues have been devastating changes to grapple with, going against everything we are accustomed to as social beings. The sense of safety and security we had found in everyday rituals was lost, leaving many with a feeling of displacement. “Young people are living in a bubble – quarantined in body and mind,” Dr Morkel adds.
Long-term impact
“There’s also now fatigue over the disease, pandemic protocols, and the incessant uncertainty,” says Dr Morkel. She notes the immediate and long-term aftermath and its impact on mental health; survivor’s guilt can plague one for months or even years, while long COVID can be a constant lingering reminder of one’s own experience. Depression, sleep disturbance, impaired concentration and other symptoms become the shadow hanging over someone’s attempt to return to health.
Our mental health crisis is not new
In 2018, a sixth of the population already suffered from anxiety, depression or a substance use disorder, and nearly two-thirds possibly lived with post-traumatic stress. Only 27% with severe mental disorders were receiving treatment, painting a dismal picture.
And when it comes to available State treatment? According to the research, just 5% of the national health budget went towards mental health for 2019, and only 50% of public hospitals with ‘mental health services’ actually had a psychiatrist. “Perhaps the pandemic has given us an opportunity to turn this around,” says Dr Morkel. “Now’s the time to show collective will to broaden the reach of psychiatric services.”