Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Feb;21(1):1-3.
doi: 10.1192/bji.2023.32.

Is mental health in South Africa moving forward?

Affiliations
Review

Is mental health in South Africa moving forward?

Tejil Morar et al. BJPsych Int. 2024 Feb.

Abstract

A landmark South African Mental Health Conference took place in April 2023, marking the first national collaborative conference between government and mental health professionals. The theme was Join the Movement, and a 'whole of society' approach was emphasised, imploring various sectors to collaborate in relieving the country's burden of mental illness. Challenges in mental health were raised and possible solutions presented. This article discusses the conference, aspects of psychiatric care in South Africa, South Africa's health system issues and the importance of moving forward measurably.

Keywords: Mental health services; SA Mental Health Conference; South Africa; low- and middle-income countries; mental health policy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

References

    1. SA Mental Health Conference. Presentations. Foundation for Professional Development, 2023. Available from: https://mentalhealthconference.co.za/presentations/.
    1. Sapien Labs. The Mental State of the World in 2022. Sapien Labs, 2022.
    1. Shisana O. Mental Health in South Africa. Presentation at the SA Mental Health Conference 2023. Johannesburg, South Africa, 2023. (https://mentalhealthconference.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Prof-Oli...).
    1. World Bank. South Africa. World Bank, 2023. (https://data.worldbank.org/country/south-africa [cited 16 Jul 2023]).
    1. Herman AA, Stein DJ, Seedat S, Heeringa SG, Moomal H, Williams DR. The South Africa Stress and Health (SASH) study: 12-month and lifetime prevalence of common mental disorders. S Afr Med J 2009; 99: 339–44. - PMC - PubMed