Mental Health in South Africa: Towards Addressing Associated Idiosyncrasies of Stigma, Discrimination and Human Rights

This study offers a synopsis of sensitive worldwide phenomenon such as mental condition, discrimination and human rights violation and stereotype as faced by individual living with mental illness in South Africa. Starting off with the general global perspectives of this study scopes, it explores the sociocultural meanings and dimension of mental illness, its causes, and the impact such social constructs have on health seeking conduct among individuals who lived and experienced this condition in South Africa. It describes the unique role played by relatives as caregivers and perpetuators of violence and abuse of individuals with mental condition. The study further describes the constraints that encroach on treating mental condition in South Africa, including; deficit of robust mental health education and orientation at diverse levels of predicament, lack of required health resources and infrastructure, treatment obstacles, and inadequate professional counselling and therapy sessions. The study also traverses a crucial related dimension of intersectionalities of mental condition. The study deployed a qualitative approach, ensured participants size comprising adults aged above 18years, including service providers, professional nurses, counsellors, auxiliary workers and service users. Conclusively, the No. 17 of 2002: Mental Health Care Act 2002 that aims at aligning South Africa Mental health policy with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996), prohibits against unfair discrimination of people with mental or other disabilities, and rather, support the need to promote the provision of mental health care services, in a manner which promotes the maximum mental well-being of users of mental health services and communities in which they reside were methodically reviewed. The implications of the Act on stigma and recommendations for addressing the malicious cycle of stigma, discrimination, and human rights violation were equally debated.

Keywords: Mental Health, Stigma, Discrimination, Human Rights, South African Mental Health Policy