As we know, October marks the annual World Mental Health Awareness Month. We’re creating awareness around mental health, issues related to mental health, and advocating for mental health conditions. New mental health app Kena Health aims to make mental health support more affordable and accessible to all
A theme has been set for the year’s awareness month – ‘Make Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority’, which is more crucial now than ever. Kena Health, a digital health app, aims to improve access to mental health services across South Africa.
South Africans have been experiencing an influx in symptoms of anxiety and depression exacerbated by load-shedding that puts added stress on businesses and households, as well as financial strain caused by inflation on basic goods and the rising cost of fuel.
Beyond South Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) have called for new measures to tackle mental health issues.
WHO’s World mental health report, published in June 2022, showed that there were one billion people living with a mental disorder in 2019, 15% of this group were working-age adults. This speaks volumes to the fact that the workplace amplifies a wider societal issue that is negatively affecting mental health, including discrimination and inequality.
Bullying and psychological violence (also known as ‘mobbing’) are other key complaints of workplace harassment that have a negative impact on mental health. Yet discussing or disclosing mental health remains taboo in work settings globally.
Digital solutions are increasingly helping to address barriers around seeking out mental health care in form of mental health apps and podcasts. Kena Health is the exact service that is dramatically improving access to mental health professionals through a private, affordable, and remote access service.
The app also allows South Africans to chat with a registered doctor, nurse, or mental health professional. Since launching in March 2022, about 25% of all consultations have been for mental health issues related to depression, anxiety, and stress.
The solution
The solution begins with awareness. The biggest barrier to getting help is accepting that there’s a problem. Mental health has been taboo for a long time and is seldom taught or addressed in schools. There is generally a low level of awareness around the symptoms of different mental health conditions. As a result, people who need help with their mental health often misidentify symptoms, leading to not addressing the underlying issues.
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Though the COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, grief, and trauma, there is still a long way to go in truly driving more awareness and education.
At the same time, the growing availability of app-based counselling services like Kena Health has made accessing mental health help easier than ever.
How Kena Health is improving access
Awareness is often the barrier to seeking professional help, and access to registered mental health professionals can be challenging and very expensive.
Kena Health overcomes this challenge by allowing people to have mental health consultations remotely. By giving people easy access to counsellors outside of their area while at the same time lowering the cost. Kena Health is making counselling affordable for significantly more people at only R185 per consultation.
Kena Health allows patients to consult via text, voice, or video in the App. With mental health consultations, patients often feel more comfortable chatting via text, as this allows for an increased feeling of privacy and anonymity.
Improving access to mental health help and helping people feel more comfortable, private, and secure when seeking help contributes to greater education and understanding. Growing awareness of mental health issues and reducing stigma is their main priority. By changing how we access services, app-based care is one of the biggest drivers of change in our social attitude toward mental health.
Compiled by: Amy Steenkamp
