More than half of South African employees face a mental health crisis

A STUDY by the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) has painted a grim picture, revealing that more than half of South African employees are struggling with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and burnout due to work stress and insecurity.

- MTHOBISI NOZULELA

Based on responses from over 960 participants, the survey found that six in ten workers wished they could afford to quit their jobs, and nearly half reported feeling unhappy at the start of the workweek.

"Work emerged as a consistent stressor for many survey respondents, regardless of their employment sector, which included education, health, NPOs, finance, government, retail and media", the study noted.

The survey also found that 52% of respondents have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, with 32% experiencing depression, 25% clinical stress, 18% anxiety and 13% burnout.