Addressing violence as a mental health crisis

CALL TO ACTION

- STAFF REPORTER

CAPE Mental Health (CMH) commemorated World Mental Health Day last week, addressed fears around healing and tackling violence as a mental health crisis.

The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day, according to The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), was “Access to Services — Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies”.

The Observatory-based nonprofit organisation, which provides mental health programmes to support its clients, stated that persistent violence in Cape Town, through ongoing gangand gender-based violence, alcohol and drug-related incidents, and taxi wars, acts as a catastrophe with severe mental health consequences.

Public relations and communications officer at CMH, Barbara Meyer, said exposure to violence erodes mental health, causing anxiety, depression, sleep problems, post-traumatic stress disorder, and strained relationships.