COVID-19, psychosocial issues, politics, and public mental health care. (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pillay, Anthony L; Kramers-Olen, Anne L
• Other Names: Cooper Saths guest-editor.; Kramers-Olen Anne L guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: South African journal of psychology =. Volume 51:Number 2(2021)
• Page Start: 293
• Page End: 303
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- health -- mental health -- politics -- psychology -- South Africa; Psychology -- Periodicals; 150.5
• DOI: 10.1177/00812463211015750
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0081-2463

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic heralded challenges that were both significant and unfamiliar, placing inordinate burdens on health care systems, economies, and the collective psyche of citizens. The pandemic underscored the tenuous intersections between public mental health care, politics, economics, and psychosocial capital. In South Africa, the inadequacies of the public health system have been laid bare, and the disproportionate privileges of the private health care system exposed. This article critically considers government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the psychosocial correlates of lockdown, politics, corruption, and public mental health policy in South Africa.