First Thing is First | Today is World Mental Health Day (10 October 2022) , it   just as important to have a mental health check-up as a physical health check after a traumatic event.

• One in 7 South Africans will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime, placing them at high risk of developing acute stress disorder which can become a more serious, long-term mental illness if left untreated.

• The country’s high rates of crime, road accidents, and interpersonal violence, as well as highly public violent events such as the July 2021 unrest and looting in KZN and Gauteng, heighten the risk for South Africans of developing acute stress disorder, SA Society of Psychiatrists spokesperson Dr Gagu Matsebula said.

• Acute stress disorder affects up to 20% of people who experience or witness traumatic events such as death, serious injury, or physical or sexual violence, and about half of those will go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a debilitating impact on their work and life opportunities.

Guest: Dr Gagu Matsebula, Member of the South African Society of Psychiatrists 

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