‘Barefoot counsellors’ can alleviate the mental health crisis
South Africa ranks among the worst countries in the world on treatment of psychological disorders
South Africa is facing a dual crisis that threatens to undercut its future prosperity: a spiralling mental health epidemic and one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. According to Stats SA, 45.5% of young people aged 15 to 34 are unemployed. And yet, both challenges remain under the radar and their alleviation dangerously underfunded.
South Africa’s mental health crisis is not abstract — it is deeply personal, widely felt, and statistically staggering. The country ranks among the worst globally on the Mental Health Quotient, placing third from the bottom in the 2023 “Mental State of the World” report. A sobering 35% of South Africans report being in psychological distress — an estimated 15.1% of adults experienced a mental health challenge in the past year alone, and one in three will face a mental illness at some point in their lives...
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