Siyabuswa — Limited access to care, poverty and violence are putting immense pressure on the mental health of youth in South Africa. This is confirmed by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), whose stats released in early October 2025 shows that 10,1% of young South Africans live with depressive disorders, 6,7% experience anxiety disorders and 17,6% suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Lesego Dlamini (28) says she has been living with a mental health condition for four years and only now she’s beginning to feel better. “I think the only thing I remember was a very low mood and every time I woke up, I felt I didn’t want to see anyone. I didn’t want people to see [that I am mentally unwell] because I couldn’t show myself. I am a person who smiles a lot, and I couldn’t show my smile,” she said.
Dlamini explained how pressures from her peers worsened her condition. “When my friends graduated and I didn’t, when they got permanent jobs and I didn’t, that’s when I slipped into depression without realising it, next thing I knew I was on medication.”
She warns young people not to bottle up their feelings. “If you keep everything to yourself, you harm yourself. That’s one of the biggest dangers.”
Andiswa Mtshweni, a social worker at Mpumalanga Mental Health Society, says mental illnesses are often under-diagnosed and if a patient is not violent or not posing danger to themselves, they are not referred to the hospital for 72 hours observations as stated in section 27 of the Mental Health Act 17 of 2002. Instead they are given mental health care users treatment without proper diagnosis, she explained.
Mtshweni emphasised that the need for more awareness campaigns should be conducted in public places to educate people about the free mental health services available.
“Some people are utilising the services however, they don’t visit our offices even though we visit local clinics on a monthly basis to raise awareness,” she said.
She added many young people with mental health problems do not seek help or receive care, sometimes this is a result of resource constraints and a scarcity of health professionals who are properly trained to identify and treat childhood psychiatric conditions. Stigma and lack of knowledge among teachers and parents can also contribute to children not getting the care they need.
