The issue of mental health has gained more attention in recent years but so has the discourse surrounding it.
The number of young people battling silent conflicts, such as emotional fatigue, despair, and anxiety, is steadily increasing. What was formerly discussed behind closed doors is now openly endangering the health of a whole generation.
There are more pressures on today's youth than there were on earlier generations. The fact that so many people are at their breaking point is not surprising, given the continual comparison on social media, unemployment, financial difficulties, familial problems, and academic stress. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) reports that the second most common cause of mortality among South African youth is suicide.
That ought to be sufficient to get us to pause and take notice. Because mental health is still stigmatized, many young people suffer in silence. When they attempt to open, society frequently labels them as weak dramatic, or attention seekers. Young people are unable to receive the critical assistance they require
because of this poisonous mentality. Mental illness is frequently dismissed as just stress or something that can be resolved by prayer alone in some cultures, where it is not even acknowledged as a legitimate sickness.
However, mental health is just as real and significant as any physical disease. It doesn't necessarily exist just because we can't see it. Anxiety can impair judgment, depression
can sap one's vitality, and trauma can impair one's capacity for normal functioning or trust. These mental health issues can result in substance misuse, self-harm, or even suicide if they are not treated.
We must begin establishing safe venues for youth to discuss their experiences without fear of condemnation, both online and offline. Mental health should be treated with the
same seriousness as academics or production in schools, colleges, and businesses. NGOs and the government must improve mental health services, particularly in impoverished areas where there is little to no support.
Its important for us young people to know that its acceptable to not feel okay. Asking for support makes you strong enough to face your truth, not weak. One way to start the healing process is to phone a helpline like SADAG (0800 567 567) or speak with a trusted friend or counselor.
Mental health is a social concern as well as a personal one. We run the risk of losing more of our gifted, imaginative, and intelligent young people to the shadows of silence if we keep ignoring it. Our future depends on us treating mental health with the compassion and urgency it requires.