The mental health of men has taken centre stage at an awareness event in Kayamandi township outside Stellenbosch.
Amid Men’s Health Month, Western Cape Health authorities say too many men are suffering in silence, while help is available.
They say they want to break the stigma around mental health.
Phikolomzi Ngonyama, a member of the local gentlemans’ club, says they work as a collective to help men overcome the many challenges they face.
“You have to provide for the entire family as young men. So, that, on its own … they budget on your behalf even before you get your salary. So, that gives a lot of pressure on us men. So, we really discuss such issues and mental health really gets to us because there is depression and anxiety that comes to play when we are having these pressures. When you get your salary you have to provide, you have to split it for more than seven or thirteen people at your household. So, it’s really a serious problem.”
Platfoms for engagement
According to the South African Society of Psychiatrists, men underplay stressful situations by drowning their depression and anxiety with poor coping behaviours.
This in turn increases their risk of anxiety or depression going unrecognised and untreated.
To combat this, Dove Men+Care has created platforms for men to be able to discuss, share their experiences and help educate each other through their different experiences.
This is to help other men out there to show care to themselves.
Clinical Psychologist and Spiritualist/Healer Anele Siswana explains more in the video below:
-Additional reporting by SABC News
