Mental health services

What are mental health services?


Mental health is the current psychological state you are in. Mental health services consist of diagnosing and treating several psychological and behavioural disorders that occur in a private, public, inpatient or outpatient setting.

Mental health awareness acknowledges how we feel and act upon these feelings. Therefore, cognitive, emotional, and behavioural well-being are the core of our services, focusing on improving patients' moods, feelings, and behaviour.



What affects your mental health?

Various factors can impact how you feel, such as close or intimate relationships, your daily living patterns and current physical health. For example, toxic interpersonal relationships and poor physical health due to an injury or chronic disease can affect the way we think and perform at work.

Socioeconomic conditions such as unemployment, improper housing, lack of basic resources, inaccessibility to education and occupational demands play a role in negative feelings, thoughts and behaviour.

Unfortunately, there are factors we are unable to alter, which make one prone to anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, mood disorders and psychotic disorders such as genetics, age and ethnicity, including unfavourable experiences from the past.


What do we offer?

A family physician can help diagnose an underlying mental health condition manifested in physical symptoms. Dr Ledwaba will counsel you during a consultation and prescribe medication if necessary. However, she may also refer you to a specialist when symptoms are severe. Depending on your diagnosis and psychiatric assessment, you may benefit from one-on-one or group therapy sessions with a qualified psychologist.

Dr Ledwaba refers her patients after ruling out underlying conditions (chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid disorders, syphilis and obstructive sleep apnoea) that mimic anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and other syndromes. She will refer a specialist psychologist to provide the following mental health services:

  • One-on-one therapy
  • Group therapy
  • Psychotherapy
  • Recreational therapies
  • Supportive therapy practices (yoga and meditation)


REQUEST CONSULTATION

1. What are the common signs of a mental illness?
  • Poor appetite
  • Anxiety
  • Moodiness
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Trouble sleeping (insomnia, sleeping excessively)
  • Hallucinations (visual/auditory)
2. Can my family physician prescribe antidepressants?
A primary care doctor can prescribe mood alleviators such as antidepressants, especially when discovering their patient suffers from major depression. However, they will also refer you to a specialist for ongoing therapy.
3. Can my doctor diagnose depression?
Your doctor can make a referral to a specialist in psychiatry to confirm a diagnosis of depression. Still, they will carry out a physical exam and laboratory tests to rule out underlying conditions.