82 |OCTOBER^2019 |WWW.TRUELOVE.CO.ZA
Instead of dismissing your child’s
unbecoming behaviour as an attention-
seeking stunt, here’s how to discern if they
could be suffering from a mental illness...By INNOCENTIA NKADIMENG
M
ental illnesses are the least spoken
about disorders in children, especially
in black communities. A child will be
labelled as ‘naughty’ or ‘stubborn’ for
being withdrawn as a result of a mental
trauma they may be suffering. Parents
usually find it difficult to differentiate between their child’s
normal behaviour and mental issues because of the lack of
vocabulary for children to express just how they feel.
Family discussions about mental illness are usually swept
under the carpet as a result of the stigma attached to it.
Last year, studies conducted by the Mental Health
and Poverty Project researchers found that 16.5% of
South Africans suffer from common mental disorders
like depression and anxiety and that 17% of children and
adolescents suffer from mental disorders.UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH
Anyone can be affected by mental illness, which is why clinical
psychologist from Rosebank Clinic Centre, Hlengiwe Zwane,
says we all need to understand our mental state so that we
are able to tell if it’s healthy or not. “When we talk about
mental illness it’s when something has gone ill, meaning that
something has gone wrong but could be corrected through
therapy, medication or behavioural changes,” Zwane says.NORMALISING THE PHENOMENON
Our views on mental illnesses are mostly influenced by the
society we grow up in and the meaning that goes with it. “We
need to acknowledge that mental illness has always been
associated with witchcraft in black communities and that
has always been the issue,” says educational psychologist,
Maurious Mthimkhulu, on why the society still gets uneasyand Your Child