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Mental Health

We cannot continue to suffer in silence
Article
/ 10 November 2017

We cannot continue to suffer in silence

"Who knew that I might share a similar condition with the person I was taught to shame?"

By Staff Reporter
#LifeEsidimeni: Inside the arbitration hearings
Podcasts
/ 6 November 2017

#LifeEsidimeni: Inside the arbitration hearings

As the hearings continue this week, Laura Lopez Gonzalez speaks to Nelisiwe Msomi about the arbitration process.

By Nelisiwe Msomi, Laura Lopez Gonzalez and Dylan Bush
#LifeEsidimeni: What will arbitration mean for the families?
Podcasts
/ 30 October 2017

#LifeEsidimeni: What will arbitration mean for the families?

Laura Lopez Gonzalez speaks to Tim Modise about who might be held accountable for the tragedy.

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez and Dylan Bush
London school refuses to confirm former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu is a student
Article
/ 24 October 2017

London school refuses to confirm former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu is a student

Eleven Gauteng health employees were singled out for censure. Now, only two have been suspended and garnered an alleged R1.3-million in wages.

By Nelisiwe Msomi, Laura Lopez Gonzalez and Bhekisisa Team
Life Esidimeni: Family of victim dealt a second blow
Article
/ 23 October 2017

Life Esidimeni: Family of victim dealt a second blow

​The sister of a Life Esidimeni patient suffered a second blow when her niece died after collapsing on the day the hearings started.

By Jan Bornman
#LifeEsidimeni: Evil casts a long and shifting shadow
Article
/ 20 October 2017

#LifeEsidimeni: Evil casts a long and shifting shadow

History has shown that good people do bad things when they’re told. Here’s why.

By Laura López González
#LifeEsidimeni: Why seemingly good people came to do very, very bad things
Article
/ 19 October 2017

#LifeEsidimeni: Why seemingly good people came to do very, very bad things

At least 141 mental health patients. As officials take the stand as part of arbitration hearings, a disturbing thread runs through their testimonies.

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez
#LifeEsidimeni: Head of NGO tied to 23 deaths was unqualified, unlicensed
Article
/ 17 October 2017

#LifeEsidimeni: Head of NGO tied to 23 deaths was unqualified, unlicensed

Owner of Pretoria organisation Precious Angels breaks down and dodges queries amid questions around deaths.

By Nelisiwe Msomi
#LifeEsidimeni: Former Gauteng Health MEC Mahlangu visited deadly Cullinan NGOs
Article
/ 17 October 2017

#LifeEsidimeni: Former Gauteng Health MEC Mahlangu visited deadly Cullinan NGOs

Social worker says mental health patients’ lives could have been saved if senior officials visited facilities. Bhekisisa has evidence they did.

By Nelisiwe Msomi and Laura Lopez Gonzalez
Let us be childless by choice
Article
/ 9 August 2017

Let us be childless by choice

Society must stay out of young women’s decision whether to have babies or not.

By Tsidiso Tolla
My descent into postpartum psychosis – and how I got out
Article
/ 28 July 2017

My descent into postpartum psychosis – and how I got out

A new mother recounts how psychiatric care that nurtured her bond with her baby helped heal her mania.

By Staff Reporter
Oh Lordey, self-care as warfare
Analysis
/ 15 June 2017

Oh Lordey, self-care as warfare

Looking after your own wellbeing should be about self-affirmation and not costly facials

By Kiri Rupiah
#LifeEsidimeni: More than a year later, still no prosecutions
Article
/ 7 June 2017

#LifeEsidimeni: More than a year later, still no prosecutions

Families say many are still waiting for results of autopsies performed last year.

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez
Is racism making our children sick?
Article
/ 15 May 2017

Is racism making our children sick?

Children who experience discrimination may be more at risk of mental and physical ill-health.

By Joan Van Dyk
Suicide and the violence of our words
Article
/ 10 May 2017

Suicide and the violence of our words

What if we thought of suicide as the outcome of a terminal illness instead of the outcome of an action?

By Lizette Rabe Guest Author
​The Foxy Five: Issue-driven, thinly written but rich with potential
Article
/ 9 May 2017

​The Foxy Five: Issue-driven, thinly written but rich with potential

The creator of  ‘The Foxy Five’ deserves praise, but the writing could improve.

By Staff Reporter
​Air pollution drives mental trauma
Article
/ 2 May 2017

​Air pollution drives mental trauma

People living in cities and downwind of coal power stations breathe in high levels of nitrogen dioxide, which does significant damage to wellbeing.

By Sipho Kings
Will my medical expenses get paid if I become suicidal?
Article
/ 20 April 2017

Will my medical expenses get paid if I become suicidal?

Medical aids cover far less for psychiatric illnesses than they do for physical ailments.

By Ina Skosana and Joan Van Dyk
Why South Africa is sad – and getting sadder
Article
/ 30 March 2017

Why South Africa is sad – and getting sadder

War-torn Somalia spent more than two decades without a working Parliament, so why are Somalis happier than South Africans?

By Ina Skosana
‘I was married to a Boko Haram’: What happens when a victim returns to her village?
Article
/ 7 March 2017

‘I was married to a Boko Haram’: What happens when a victim returns to her village?

Eighty two of the Chibok school girls, kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria three years ago, have been released. But what now?

By Staff Reporter
#LifeEsidimeni: Patients still missing after deadly move from state care
Article
/ 23 February 2017

#LifeEsidimeni: Patients still missing after deadly move from state care

Gauteng health department hopes to avoid legal battle as more bodies are discovered.

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez
#SONA2017: Mbete refuses moment of silence for 94 dead mental health patients
Article
/ 10 February 2017

#SONA2017: Mbete refuses moment of silence for 94 dead mental health patients

Key players say the culture of government created by Jacob Zuma allowed the deaths of 94 health patients.

By Mia Malan
Health MEC quits as patient death tally almost triples
Article
/ 1 February 2017

Health MEC quits as patient death tally almost triples

Almost 100 Gauteng mental health patients died after MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s disastrous decision, the health ombud has found.

By Mia Malan
When the sorrow doesn’t end: Could chronic grief be a medical condition?
Article
/ 13 January 2017

When the sorrow doesn’t end: Could chronic grief be a medical condition?

The pain of bereavement is supposed to ease with time. When it doesn’t, psychiatrists call it ‘complicated grief’ and it can be treated.

By Staff Reporter
Viruses, vaccines and superbugs: The biggest health stories of 2016
Article
/ 22 December 2016

Viruses, vaccines and superbugs: The biggest health stories of 2016

This year wasn’t pretty but from its ashes may rise important scientific advances that could change the course of history.

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez
Should you be keeping Santa’s secret from the kids?
Article
/ 19 December 2016

Should you be keeping Santa’s secret from the kids?

Warning, this article contains sensitive details about Father Christmas. Kids, look away.

By Pontsho Pilane
Africa’s oldest psychiatric hospital a stark reminder of war and a forgotten people
Article
/ 22 November 2016

Africa’s oldest psychiatric hospital a stark reminder of war and a forgotten people

After Sierra Leone’s civil war, money poured in for mental health services. But a decade later, there’s little left to help Ebola’s victims.

By Ryan Lenora Brown
Health MEC: ‘Esidimeni wasn’t my responsibility’
Podcasts
/ 9 November 2016

Health MEC: ‘Esidimeni wasn’t my responsibility’

The former Gauteng health MEC says it wasn’t her job to visit organisations prior to transferring state patients into their care.

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez and Dylan Bush
The promise and peril of ditching South Africa’s psychiatric hospitals
Article
/ 9 November 2016

The promise and peril of ditching South Africa’s psychiatric hospitals

Community mentalhealth care can be better for patients and health systems if it’s done right.
Find out how one organisation is making it work.

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez
[EXCLUSIVE] Gauteng health MEC: Court threats fly over patient deaths
Article
/ 7 November 2016

[EXCLUSIVE] Gauteng health MEC: Court threats fly over patient deaths

Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu breaks her silence over the department’s deadly decision to transfer psychiatric patients.

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez
Gauteng mental health services: ‘They treated him like you don’t even treat a dog’
Article
/ 4 November 2016

Gauteng mental health services: ‘They treated him like you don’t even treat a dog’

A decision by the Gauteng department of health has left at least 36 dead but has the scandal lifted the lid on the horrors of mental healthcare?

By Laura Lopez Gonzalez
We need ‘everything is not OK’ spaces
Article
/ 14 October 2016

We need ‘everything is not OK’ spaces

Iimbali is a space for stories and other narrative-based social analysis.

By Milisuthando Bongela
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