Breaking the Silence on Mental Health with SADAG

Introduction: The Gap Between Struggling and Getting Help

Lauren Davis (00:00)

The World Health Organization estimates that one in eight of us is living with a mental health condition.

Think about that.

That means someone in your life, someone you had a conversation with this week, someone you work with, someone sitting across the dinner table from you, is probably not okay. And there’s a good chance they haven’t told anyone about it.

Not necessarily because they don’t want help, but because the gap between I’m not okay and actually accessing help is much wider and more complex than many of us realise.

And for many, staying quiet actually feels safer than speaking up.

So that’s what today’s episode is all about.

I’m Lauren Davis, and this is Beneath the Busy, the podcast where we look beneath the surface at what really shapes how we live and lead.

Today is a very special episode.

This week, thousands of podcasters across the globe are participating in something called Podcastathon, an initiative where each host dedicates an episode to a charity they believe in, all released at the same time.

The idea is that if enough voices say the same thing at the same time, the message becomes harder to ignore.

So I’m delighted to share that the organisation I’ve chosen to support today is the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, also known as SADAG.

The reason I’ve chosen this organisation is because the work they do sits exactly at the intersection of what I’m most passionate about, and frankly, two things I think we are still doing really badly in the world today.

The first is the huge silence around mental health and mental illness that keeps people quiet and prevents them from accessing the help they need.

The second is access, access to mental healthcare.

Because even if people do speak up and say they’re not okay, for many, actually getting support becomes the blocker.

So SADAG works directly in this gap, consistently, concretely, and at a huge scale.

But before I get into it, as always, let’s just take a moment to pause.

Stop whatever you’re doing.

Focus on your breath for a moment.

Take a deep breath in…

and out.

Unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders, relax your stomach.

And whatever you’ve carried into this conversation with you, just put it down for the next 10 to 15 minutes.

This conversation really deserves your full presence.

Quite frankly, so do you.

Why Mental Health Still Lives in Silence

So let’s start with stigma, or more specifically, with silence.

Mental health is shrouded in silence in our world today.

Often when we think about mental health stigma, we think broadly in terms of cultural stereotypes, outdated beliefs, or other people’s ignorance.

But what we’re less comfortable acknowledging is how stigma sits within us, in our internal narrative around not being okay.

The decision not to share that you haven’t been sleeping well.

To use the excuse of I’m just tired to explain your low mood or irritability.

To blame your poor concentration on just being stressed.

Or even convincing yourself that it’s not that bad, that you just need to push through.

When actually, intuitively, you know something is really off.

But you choose to ignore it because in some way you might believe that admitting you’re not coping mentally means you’re weak.

Or perhaps you’re afraid of other people’s judgement.

Sometimes we don’t want pity.

Sometimes we fear being passed over in our careers if we mention these things.

And for some of us, we stay silent because we don’t want to feel like a burden to others.

So yes, there are external stigmas and stereotypes that definitely contribute to the silence around mental health.

But I think we’ve all internalised them.

And while we might say it’s okay for other people not to be okay, it’s not okay for me not to be okay.

I have to persevere.

I have to push through.

I have to be strong-willed.

When You Look Fine but Feel Broken Inside

The problem is that mental distress rarely announces itself dramatically.

It quietly erodes our capability, our ability to function well, and our capacity to experience joy.

So while internally we may be crumbling, externally we look functional.

We keep delivering.

We keep parenting.

We keep supporting others.

We just keep showing up, regardless of what’s happening inside.

And this slow erosion, combined with silence, can slowly lead to tragedy.

So on the one hand, there is silence.

We don’t feel safe enough to speak out.

On the other hand, even when we do admit to ourselves that we’re not okay, and even when we do speak up and ask for help, accessing that help can be incredibly complicated.

Often harder than it should be.

Why Accessing Mental Health Support Can Feel So Hard

Many people don’t know where to start.

They don’t know if what they’re experiencing is serious enough to warrant help.

Even if they think they need help, they don’t know where to go, where to begin, or who to consult.

Then there is the challenge of actual access.

In many countries, public mental healthcare is overstretched.

There are limited professionals available, long waiting lists, and inadequate care.

And when we move into underserved communities, rural areas, or minority groups, services become even scarcer.

So access is not equal.

And it’s not only access to services, but access to language too.

Often the literature around mental health conditions is highly clinical or written in a language many people don’t understand.

So limitations to care are not only socioeconomic.

They are geographical, cultural, and linguistic.

Even for people who can afford private healthcare, barriers still exist.

It is incredibly expensive.

Medical insurance often provides limited cover, if any.

And many practitioners are booked months in advance.

So what we’re really dealing with is silence on the one hand, and barriers to care on the other.

And this is where people begin to fall through the cracks.

How SADAG Is Changing Mental Health Support in South Africa

That’s where SADAG comes in.

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group was founded in 1994 by Zane Wilson, an incredibly inspiring woman who started the organisation because of her own experience of limited understanding, silence around mental health, and limited access to care.

She began as a patient advocate, and what started in 1994 has grown into a national support organisation.

They do a wide range of things.

24-Hour Crisis Support

They run a 24-hour crisis line, which is absolutely invaluable, where there is a real human being on the other end of the phone.

Support Groups, Schools and Communities

They also offer numerous support groups, both in person and virtually, across the country.

They do psychoeducation in workplaces, schools, and communities.

Their focus includes urban areas, but especially rural communities too.

So they reach widely across South Africa.

And all of that is incredible.

The number of people they reach through these interventions is truly inspiring.

Breaking Language Barriers with Speaking Books

But the thing that really stands out to me is something they started years ago called Speaking Books.

What they realised was that for many people, access to mental healthcare is limited by language.

Many cannot read.

And even if they can, much of the available literature is in a language they do not understand.

So they created books that literally speak.

You press a button, and the book narrates what is written on the page.

They have translated these into all South African languages, as well as some European languages.

This creates huge access to psychoeducation, which is remarkable.

They truly epitomise democratising access to mental healthcare.

And they’ve been doing it for over 30 years.

They don’t just break stigma.

They make sure that when somebody reaches out for help, someone is there to support them, in a language they understand, at the time they need it.

That is extraordinary.

Why Awareness Alone Is Not Enough

And this kind of support is not just something I admire, it has become integral to the work I do.

Because in our work, internationally and locally, across many organisations, people are still suffering in silence.

Yet I’m being asked to speak about psychological safety, burnout, anxiety, and mental health in the workplace.

Awareness is becoming more popular, especially in organisational spaces.

But too often, it stops at awareness.

People still don’t know where to access support, what kind of support is appropriate, or how to get there.

What I’ve realised is that increasing awareness, reducing stigma, and improving access to care are all critical if people are actually going to receive the help they need.

Because when people fall through the gap, the impact is not only individual.

Their families feel it.

Their workplaces feel it.

Their communities feel it.

Mental illness is not just an individual issue.

It is a collective one.

What We Can All Do Right Now

The reality is we cannot fix the whole system alone.

But there is something each of us can do.

If you’re in South Africa, I encourage you to save the SADAG number.

You may never need it, but someone in your life might.

Their toll-free number is in the show notes.

And for everyone, whether you’re in South Africa or not, normalise the conversation around not being okay.

Make it safe for people to talk to you about how they’re feeling.

That often starts with being honest about how you’re feeling.

And knowing that it is okay not to be okay, and really meaning it.

If somebody shares with you that they’re struggling, don’t immediately swoop in to fix it or dismiss it.

Be there.

Listen.

Then help them access the right support.

And if you’re in a position to support organisations like SADAG, or any mental health organisation in your area, whether financially, as a volunteer, or simply by raising awareness that they exist, I really encourage you to do so.

Because you’re helping shrink that gap.

You’re helping reduce the distance between I’m not okay and here’s the help you can get.

One Final Question to Reflect On

Before we close, I want to leave you with one question.

And I’d like you to sit with it for a moment before you move on to the next busy thing.

If you were to take one thing away from what you heard today, what would it be?

And what would you do about it?

Start there.

Just one small thing.

A conversation.

Reading more about mental illness.

Reaching out to SADAG to volunteer or donate.

Or simply sitting quietly and being honest with yourself about how you’re feeling.

Just one small thing can make a huge impact.

And if you’d like to explore the other charities being highlighted this week through the podcast, you can visit podcastathon.org.

The website link will also be in the show notes.

Closing Thoughts

As always, it’s okay not to be okay, but it’s not okay to stay that way.

You are not alone.

And if you learned anything today, let it be this:

Help is available.

Be well, and take care until next time.