Dr Sibu Qhogwana

Stigma in mental health reflects our beliefs, attitudes and thoughts about mental illness. These manifest through our behaviour towards people with mental health challenges and the language we use to describe their experiences. THOUGHTS AND LANGUAGE Negative assumptions   People who stigmatise others often hold negative assumptions about those they stigmatise. Such assumptions are often baseless and are driven by a lack of understanding of the person and their situation. The person is often blamed  for their condition through using  statements like  “depression is for weak people” or “depression indicates lack of faith” and “African people don’t get depressed”. All these assumptions leave people feeling inferior and put an extra burden on them.  A belief of Immunity  People who have not experienced mental health challenges may believe that they are immune from such.  As a result they distance themselves from people with mental health challenges an...

Stigma is when we blame, judge, prejudice and discriminate people because of characteristics that they have or situations that they are going through. People are often stigmatised for situations that they already find challenging to deal with and sometimes it is situations they cannot change or have temporarily lost control over (i.e. mental health diagnosis like depression, diagnosis of HIV and people living with disabilities). So when we stigmatise people we place an extra burden on their already difficult journey. The following points highlight the impact of stigma on people. 1. Impact on mental health  Stigma results in feelings of isolation, rejection and guilt for people and it can contribute to the development or worsening of mental health challenges like depression and anxiety. 2. Obstacle in help-seeking  When we stigmatise people, it becomes more challenging for them to openly seek help because they fear judgement. As a result they either do not seek help at all or i...

The mourning period may end, but grief remains with us in so many ways. It is not possible to completely let go of someone who has been a part of your life in such a special way.  1. Grief and memory Grief is also about memory and for some people “the end” of grief may feel like one is forgetting about their loved one . So grief is sometimes a way of preserving the deceased through memory. The memories can be pleasant and at times painful, especially when filled with longing for the physical presence of the deceased.  2. Does time heal? We often hear that time heals. I often wonder if it is really time that heals or the mind learns to adjust to life without the deceased because there is no other option? The permanency of death in terms of physical absence gives us no option, but to eventually learn to navigate life in the absence of our loved ones. Sometimes the thought that the deceased would expect their loved one to continue with life in their absence is what may encourage ...

Grief is an emotional and behavioural response experienced because of loss. We have always talked about grief and we need to continue the conversations, especially in the context of many different losses experienced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.    1. Normalcy of grief    Grief is a normal response to an experience of any kind of loss. A response does not always imply a presence of emotions, as numbness is also a response for some people.    2. Universal yet a unique experience   The experience of grief has some universal elements; however, it can be expressed in many unique ways. It is therefore important that people are allowed to express their grief in ways that are unique and helpful for their journey. Although grief can be a collective experience, it can also be a unique experience because of many factors. In case of loss of a loved one through death, the unique factors are the nature of the relationship with the deceased, ...

* Parents have been warned and advised against choosing careers for their children. While this comes from a good place of “wanting the best for their children”, this often creates unnecessary stress and tension between parents and children.  * The child often bears most of the stress as they can be torn between choosing their preferred career and avoiding disappointing their parents.  * Parents often get stuck in expecting their children to follow the mainstream or traditional route of establishing a career. This often involves schooling, university or college and finding employment. The challenge with this expectation is that parents often risk overlooking the child’s strengths, passion and gifts that may form a basis of a good foundation for their future career.  * Nowadays parents also sit with the challenge of not only allowing children to chose their careers, but also allowing them to choose from a very diverse and sometimes unconventional range of careers that are c...

Originally coined by Winnicot (1951) the use of a transitional object was observed in childhood development where children would often use a soft blanket or a toy as an object of self-comfort when in distress.  It is also a term and practice that is relevant as we navigate challenging life seasons. A transitional object symbolizes psychological comfort and strength during challenging and transitional periods in one’s  life. It is an object that is associated with positivity, courage and often triggers a sense of hope and mastery within us.  Examples of transitional objects are diverse and can include pictures, places, special books etc. It could also be special items that you bought for yourself that remind you of moments of serenity and peace in your life.  Discover and use your transitional object through asking yourself these questions: 1. Do you have a childhood item that you have kept that symbolizes psychological comfort and strength? 2. Any special gifts that ...

When you are aware of how stress affects your thoughts, emotions and behaviors then you are better positioned to manage it. Stress management is also a journey where you learn to manage your life through self-training. In the process be patient with yourself. Below are a few points to consider as you learn to manage your stress: 1. Thought management: We are all wired to think, therefore thinking is a very normal and an important process in our brains. However a challenge happens when we overthink, over-interpret, generalize and personalize situations. This tendency can negatively affect our emotions and behaviors and it can increase our stress levels. Therefore learning to discern and manage our thoughts is important in stress management.  Overthinking can be resolved by distracting yourself through engaging in healthy behaviors i.e. writing down your thoughts for a few minutes and closing the diary and engaging in something else, with plans to go back to the diary and writing at ...