As South Africa commemorates Youth Day, a large number of young people are struggling with depression, which often leads to suicides or attempts to end their lives.
According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), 9% of all teen deaths here are due to suicide and the figure is going up. In the 15-to-24 age group, suicide is the second and “fastest growing” cause of death.
“Children as young as seven have committed suicide in South Africa. Every day 22 people take their lives,” SADAG says.
These statistics are backed by the high admission rates of young people to mental institutions.
Independent Media spoke to some youths receiving treatment at Vista Clinic, a wellness centre in Centurion.
They painted an alarming picture of struggling with the demands of everyday life to the pressure of societal expectations. Some blamed their parents for having high expectations they could not meet.
Chevante Japhta, 16, said she was admitted because of depression and the burden of high expectations. “I’m depressed. Family, friends and people at school are behind my depression,” she explained.
Despite being isolated for 21 days, Japhta said the experience had been worth it. She was doing things she has never done before and was now well equipped to ensure people don’t dictate how she lives her life.
“The place is helping me to deal with the world.
“I won’t let people downgrade and bother me. I won’t let their opinions about me drag me down,” she said.
Twenty-nine-year-old Michael Moeketsi, who was also admitted due to depression, said today’s youth feel alienated from the world and under pressure. He said he has to juggle other people’s expectations and his own, which can be hard.
“Our families put expectations on us that they seem to have from looking at other people of the same age. Those expectations, and pushing myself to be the best, did me more harm than good,” he said.
Thokozani Nyauza, 23, said for him the generational gap between those born in the 1960s and the born-frees seemed to be evident every day.
“With communication being the biggest barrier that led me to the wellness hospital, I hope it shows parents that depression is not something we learn from social platforms. It's a real thing due to certain events in life, one of those being them trying to rectify their mistakes through us, the children.”
A 30-year-old, who did not want to be named, said he and a business partner had a record label that was doing well, but he was avoiding tax.
“I hid my wealth from my family and things just continued to spiral out of control. When my grandmother died, it got worse. I fought with my mom constantly, but what led me here was an attempted suicide with pills.”
He said being at the wellness clinic had been a blessing.
A 2014 study revealed that “more than 17 million people in South Africa are dealing with depression, substance abuse, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia”.
Professor Soraya Seedat, one of the study’s authors and professor of psychiatry at Stellenbosch University, said the study focused on common mental disorders.
These included anxiety disorders, such as panic and post-traumatic stress disorders, mood, impulse control, alcohol and drug disorders. The researchers interviewed a representative sample of 4351 adults.
The study found that 16.5% of South Africa’s adult population suffered from some form of mental disorder in the 12 months it covered. The most common disorders - all with a prevalence of about 5% - were major depressive disorder and agoraphobia without panic.