The pandemic has brought a serious spike in health concerns, from Covid itself and conditions like cancer and TB, which had treatment backlogs, to anxiety and depression fed by unemployment, uncertainty, grief for loved ones lost, and the isolation of lockdowns. “Support groups have never been more important,” says Krystle Kemp, support group co-ordinator of more than 160 groups across the country affiliated to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).
How support groups can help
“When I was 20 my dad died by suicide while we were in the house,” says SOLOS (Survivors of Loved Ones’ Suicide) member Joanne*, a 28-year-old Durban teacher. “There’s still huge stigma around suicide, especially in my community, and I felt alone, no one could understand. My mom told people he died of a heart attack, but there was lots of talk, and people would ask if we’d said something to him that triggered it. It tormented me.
“I’d get anxiety tremors and I tried suicide twice. Then I joined the group. I could finally talk about it. There was an enormous feeling of release. And through the group I learned about suicidal thinking, and how to deal with my depression by meditating and listening to calming music. Lori (who runs SOLOS) also sends beautiful images and soothing words and links. I am so grateful.”
How to join
Contact a SADAG counsellor to chat about what options are available, using its toll-free 24-hour Helpline: 0800 456 789. “You’ll be asked questions like whether you need one-on-one help or a support group, where you are, whether you have access to transport or data, and they'll direct you from there,” says Krystle Kemp, support group co-ordinator of more than 160 groups across the country affiliated to SADAG.
If you have a physical or mental health condition, SADAG advises joining a support group only when you have been diagnosed, had intervention from a GP, psychologist or psychiatrist, and been managing it for several months.
“If you join too early, you won’t be ready to hear other people’s experiences and it can be more painful than helpful,” says Lori Barausse, who runs SOLOS – Survivors of Loved Ones’ Suicide (078 278 7074, [email protected]).
The group was started in 2007, facilitated by Joy Chang, and Barausse began co-facilitating in late 2010, two years after losing her partner to suicide. The group has members across South Africa, who have been meeting online via Zoom during Covid. “Hopefully we’ll return to meeting in person from around March,” says Barausse.
*Surname withheld