Pretoria - In preparing for the National Mental Health Summit taking place next month, the North West Department of Health will be holding a provincial Mental Health Summit highlighting the challenges confronting the mental health sector.
The two-day summit to be held in Klerksdorp from 16 to 17 February 2012, will engage provincial stakeholders on the destigmatation, mobilization and advocacy, mental health community-based services and funding of mental health services.
It will also look on other conditions with mental health implications, culture and traditional healers as well as child and adolescent mental health care services.
The summit, to be attended by North West Health MEC Dr Magome Masike, will be held under the theme "Investing in Mental Health for a long and healthy life for all South Africans".
"The burden of mental illness gives rise to huge social and economic consequences to individuals, their families and whole communities. Mental illness creates a huge burden on families, especially the primary care givers and impacts on the family's quality of life," said the North West Health Department.
According to the National Department of Health, one in four people will be affected by mental disorder at some point in their lives.
High levels of mental illness have been found to co-occur with infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis as well as non-communicable diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus among others.
