Workplace plays key role in mental health, says SA Society of Psychiatrists

CAPE TOWN - The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) said the workplace plays a key role in mental health.
 
Thursday marks World Mental Health Day and 2024’s theme focuses on prioritising mental health at work.
 
SASOP said that a place of work could contribute both positively and negatively to mental health.
 
While work can provide a livelihood, meaning, purpose and satisfaction, unhealthy organisational cultures or exposure to trauma in the workplace can worsen mental illness for vulnerable individuals.
 
SASOP member and psychiatrist, Dr Siki Gwanya-Mdletye, said: "If we think of South African adults and the proportion that is affected by mental illness, it's estimated that at least one in three South African adults will most likely experience a mental health disorder within their lifetime. 

"Alongside this, let's consider the amount of time we spend in the workplace. For employed individuals, most of their waking time is spent within the workplace."
 
Gwanya-Mdletye said that strengthening the mental health aspect of workplace health services could offer an innovative solution to the country's large mental health treatment gap, which sees 75% of those with common mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, going untreated.