The month of October signifies mental health awareness and the Break the Stigma Campaign raised awareness through providing a platform whereby people were able to share their inspiring stories and also motivate others to break the stigma about mental health issues. Founded by Mr Prime South Africa 2019 Paul Junior Malinda, 16 years old, from Kagiso in the West Rand, Break the Stigma Campaign hosted a seminar at Chief Mogale Hall and Malinda believes we are prone to be affected by mental illness and people are not equipped with much knowledge about mental health.
“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood”, said Malinda.
The seminar elaborated on mental health problems and the factors that lead to mental illness, this includes biological factors such as genes or brain chemistry, life experiences and family history.
Young people from Kagiso came in numbers to support and raise awareness and depression was one of the major factors commonly faced by young people in the West Rand. Mzwakhe Bolotina, Mr Kagiso finalist 2019 also attended the seminar, “This is a great platform for us as young people to become open about our obstacles and struggles faced by us.
We need to support each other and never be ashamed of admitting depression and other mental illnesses”, he said. The day ended with Break the Stigma Campaign providing solutions and help for people suffering from mental illnesses including connecting with people around you, staying positive, getting physically active, helping others, getting physically active, helping others, getting enough sleep and developing coping skills. “Young people are going through a lot and we need to support them and try to understand what they are going through. Therefore, I am proud to see youngsters coming together and providing solutions for problems they are facing”, said Naomi Molema Mrs Africa continental finalist 2020.
