South African Depression & Anxiety Group - Making Rural Mental Health Accessible

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Making Rural Mental Health Accessible

Funded by: World Bank
Report by: The South African Depression and Anxiety Group

In remote rural areas in the Northern Cape and North West Provinces of South Africa many children, teachers, nurses, church leaders, traditional healers, police officers, prison officials, prisoners, youth, woman and community members benefited from the funding received by the World Bank toward our Depression Awareness and Suicide Prevention Programme. This programme has been presented to communities with little or no resources and where there was no hope.

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group established over 120 self-sustaining, patient led, psychosocial support groups by educating the community on mental health problems and treatment options. In the presentations destigmatising mental illness within the community was a key issue.

Trained counsellors educated community leaders and professionals about the warning signs of mental illness and suicide so that they can more effectively assist people suffering with mental illnesses. In informal community gatherings SADAG educated families about coping with a mentally ill family member. We also spoke to patients to empower them with self-help skills and how to recognize their symptoms and thereby prevent relapse.

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Speaking books being handed out at Eli Lilly workshop in Newcastle

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Home-Based Care Givers with their new Speaking Books

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Empowering patients in Hospitals and Clinics and encouraging them to start Support Groups

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Rural areas where our work is most needed

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Part of the large number of community members attending a workshop in N.W Province.

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Home-Based Care Givers arriving at a Rural Outreach Workshop in Sabie

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Traditional Healers Workshop at Carolina on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline

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HBCW in Polokwane preparing for a meeting on Recognising Suicidal Behaviour in patients.
Funded by the Department of Mental Health

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Home Based Care Workers attending American Embassy Funded workshop in Vosloorus

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Our founder welcomed by Mr Mphila: Head of Traditional Healers in Albert Luthuli district

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Speaking Books

Click on this link to find out more about the Speaking Books - the brain child of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group. The Speaking Books are educational and instructional tools aimed at low level literacy populations.

The sales of the Speaking Books help fund SADAG's many phone lines.