South Africans’ mental health has worsened over the last year due to COVID-19, and only seems to be deteriorating as the country continues to experience the socio-economic impacts related to the pandemic.

According to Human Sciences Research Council’s Dr Priscilla Reddy, South Africans are increasingly being diagnosed with depression, and the pandemic has played a large part in that.

“From July to December, the number of South Africans screening positive for depression increased from 24% to 29%”, she told SABC news, referring to figures from 2020.

“November to December, two in three South Africans reported experiencing hunger every day [and] had depressive symptoms. These are serious mental health issues,” she added.

According to Reddy, frontline healthcare workers experience high levels of psychological distress, and that mourning the deaths of loved ones in physical isolation has played a factor in deteriorating mental health across the country.

Dr Kagisho Maaroganye from the South African Society of Psychiatrists agrees, saying that that South Africans are impacted by the pandemic on a daily basis, both directly and indirectly.

While there are many reasons for South African citizens to be experiencing a decline in their mental health, there are not enough affordable healthcare solutions to help those in need. A study released in October 2020 revealed that 49% of South Africans surveyed were interested in receiving counselling services or external mental health support, but could not afford to do so.

With this in mind, there are several ways in which citizens can prioritise self-care and mental health care without having to dig deep into their pockets.

If you’re looking for free ways to take care of your mental well-being in South Africa, whether you’ve been impacted by the pandemic or you’re simply interested in the available options, here are a few ways you can go about it.

  1. A digital detox
  2. Get outside - The parks are open
  3. Meditation Apps
  4. Learn from Mindfulness Mondays
  5. Book Mental Health Leave
  6. Speak to a professional, for free

Read the full article about mental health by Khanyi Mlaba at Global Citizen.