WHEN Sisanda Mazibuko first saw her mother's behaviour change inexplicably, she had no idea it would lead to her mother being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“My mom is quite a person, and she enjoys her own company.
"But we became alarmed when she started speaking to herself, laughing alone and having unexplainable anger episodes,” said Mazibuko.
After a few consultations with family and friends, Mazibuko and her siblings took their mother to a psychiatric hospital, which she admits was tough to come to terms with.
“My family had to deal with the stigma of having a “crazy” person and deal with the shame of having a mentally ill family member while trying to get help for my mother.
"It was a hard time because it was all new to us, and the whole experience was made even harder by stigmatisation,” said Mazibuko.
But it was at the hospital that her mother got diagnosed with bipolar disorder and started managing her mental illness.
October has been declared Mental Health Awareness Month with the objective of not only educating the public about mental health, but also to reduce the stigma and discrimination to which people with mental illness are often subjected.
People like Mazibuko benefit from this awareness month that helps many families understand mental health and enables them to support family members who are diagnosed with a mental health illness.
According to SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), bipolar disorder affects up to 1% of the population – this sounds like a low number, but when you take in consideration that there are more than 56 million people in South Africa, 1% is a large number.
The group said people living with bipolar disorder have extreme mood swings; from a high that feels like you are on top of the world, to a very deep depression that impacts their daily functioning at work, at home and in their relationships.
“Bipolar disorder is more than just mood swings.
"Unfortunately, there is still a lot of misinformation about bipolar disorder, especially the stigma which prevents a lot of people from seeking help or disclosing their diagnosis,” said Sadag.
The exact cause of bipolar disorder is not known.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of all mental health illnesses begin around the age of 14, with most cases going undetected and untreated. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-old sufferers.
WHO said: “Mental health is fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think, emote, interact with each other, earn a living and enjoy life.
"On this basis, the promotion, protection and restoration of mental health can be regarded as a vital concern of individuals, communities and societies throughout the world.”