HST Blog

​by Siyabonga Gema (HST Communications Officer)

As we mark Mental Health Awareness Month in October, we sat down with HST's Psychosocial Adviser for uThukela District, Nonhle Ntetha, who highlights some key issues faced by communities and healthcare professionals that impact their mental wellness. Nonhle also shares important information on how to identify if you are experiencing mental health issues due to work-related factors, and how community members can get involved in supporting one another in preventing mental health-related issues.

Please share some information about what your role entails.

I am a Social Worker, and my role at HST is as a Psychosocial Advisor for the SA SURE PRO project based in the uThukela District. My role entails providing technical support to our health services systems and the facilities at the sub-district levels. My role entails working closely with the clinicians, counsellors and peer mentors who form part of the Psychosocial team at facilities. Our services are becoming effective and well-needed because they focus more on the individual and touch on their emotional needs, which then strengthens an individual's ability to take care of their health needs and focus on their treatment. I am also involved with the layering of interventions that enable us to have access to psychosocial services. The layering of services requires my support in terms of identification of the needs at facilities and for our patients, to identify the gaps that affect the accessibility of services, as well as to develop improvement plans to ensure the quality of services is provided. I also support in terms of putting together a referral pathway system that will strengthen services and ease the flow of patients who access psychosocial services at facilities.

As a psychosocial advisor, what are the most common issues/matters that affect communities that contribute to some mental health issues?

Our communities are highly affected by socio-economic factors; there is a high unemployment rate which then contributes to poverty for a majority of households. There is also inequality in our communities which sometimes affects individuals' confidence. These factors result in a lack of access to services such as quality education and health care due to low income. We know that for families who are struggling financially, meeting the basic needs of children and the household as a whole is a major challenge. The pressure that comes with heading a household while struggling to make ends meet can cause elements of mental illness, sometimes without even noticing it.

What's society's role in helping to curb mental health issues?

Society is generally aware of how socio-economic factors can negatively impact one's mental wellbeing. Therefore, we do see some involvement in the form of voluntary work at Community Based Organisation (CBOs). There are even individuals and organisations who provide their services free of charge. There has also been a growing trend in communities where they form fitness clubs and go for morning walks on the weekends, which contributes positively on their mental state. Although physical exercise is highly rated for body weight control, it can also assist with keeping your body, mind and soul in good health. We need involvement from civil society in forming various sectors where we tackle issues and also open the platform to give a voice to the rest of the community.

As a healthcare professional, to what extent do work-related issues (burnout, anxiety, etc.) affect your mental health?

At the workplace, we sometimes feel overwhelmed by the volume of the work that we do, which requires us to be vigilant of the signs that our bodies communicate to us. Burnout is an existing issue which impacts on our productivity, as well as our relationships, either at work or at home. Therefore, if we are not vigilant and also attend to the symptoms while it's still early, we can place ourselves in a position where we end up being diagnosed with mental illness. Burnout can also lead to other issues such as depression, low productivity at work and making you a less valuable asset in your workplace. My advice to fellow healthcare professionals is to act as soon as they feel the symptoms and to get as much rest as they possibly can.

Do you think communities are fully aware of what mental wellness is, and its importance?

The community is aware, and there is vast information available. However, there is a challenge that comes with the new technologies that are being developed, especially social media. There is a positive and negative impact on a person's mental state when it comes to social media. For example, we see people being exposed to certain lifestyles that they feel they should adapt to. This is especially the case with adolescents and the youth. People tend to allow pressure from social media to drive their lives. We also take certain decisions based on information received from the internet when we are not sure how it will impact our lives. Therefore, this calls for collaboration between role players to come together and share strategies of how mental health awareness can be incorporated into the digital spaces that young people have access to.

Do you think the role players (community leaders, schools, churches, health practitioners, etc.) have enough resources to assist communities in dealing with psychosocial issues?

There is always a need for support, and I feel that the biggest support needed is funding. This would obviously assist in terms of getting more resources. We are faced with many challenges, including the high unemployment rate, so we need to look at how we address these issues. Funding will also assist in broadening the reach and allow more people to access psychosocial services.

What message can you convey as we mark Mental Health Awareness Month?

As an individual, it's important to love yourself and also be aware of yourself. Take time to read and understand yourself as a human being. Understand your feelings and emotions, know when you're about to reach a breaking point and do not be afraid to seek help. Have that one person that you can reach out to and also take care of your mental state. We are aware a person can take care of their physical state; when you have a bruise, you follow all the steps for it to get better. Once the external wound has healed, the internal wound needs just as much attention. Therefore, reach out whenever you need help. There are organisations and platforms such as Masiviwe that anyone can actually use to get help. There are also other organisations with platforms where you can reach them online to talk, to enquire and to actually express the type of service that you require.

For information on mental health, or assistance please go to: