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Mental Health: The Bigger Picture

29 October 2020 | Story Carmine Nieman | Photo Pexels

self-care_web read more — The Division of Organisational Development (OD) and Employee Wellness has developed numerous interventions to enhance employees' holistic well-being and to impact the university's climate and employee functioning.

October is Mental Health Awareness Month; everyone must understand what mental health is and what can be done to help improve mental health. Creating a better understanding, raising awareness, and distributing resources may be the ultimate solution to improve overall mental health and well-being.

The definition of mental health is broad and may be confusing or overwhelming for some individuals. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is defined as: “a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Other definitions describe mental health as a set of symptoms of positive functioning and feelings, representing an individual’s well-being (Keyes, 2002).

The existing broad definitions of mental health may be less confusing or overwhelming when individuals know what is included or excluded in this definition. Mental health, similar to mental ill health, can be defined as a set of symptoms present at a specific level (Keyes, 2002). Still, the difference is that mental health symptoms overlap with the distinction between the social and cognitive functioning of an individual (Keyes, 2002). Therefore, mental health and well-being can be defined as more than just the absence of psychopathology; it is also the presence of emotional, psychological, and social well-being (Keyes, 2002, 2005). Furthermore, mental health should be seen in relation to all the other areas of well-being: social, spiritual, financial, environmental, physical, and occupational. Well-being is a holistic approach, and therefore all the areas of well-being influence each other either positively or negatively. This concept is usually misunderstood, but it is crucial to improving well-being and health. For instance, occupational well-being is one of the most important social determining factors of mental health, since the environment at work and the organisation can have a profound effect on the mental health and well-being of employees (World Health Organisation, 2020). On the opposite side, negative mental health damages an individual’s cognitive, behavioural, emotional, social, and interpersonal functioning (World Health Organisation, 2020).

There is a bigger picture to mental health than most people realise. Mental health should be a priority for every individual. Still, it is essential to broaden the understanding of mental health and broaden the approach to increasing mental health. Mental health is part of a holistic well-being approach, focusing on all the well-being areas that influence each other. It is imperative to focus on a holistic approach to disease prevention and health promotion, which is dynamic and results in high energy and performance and an enhanced quality of life.

The Division of Organisational Development (OD) and Employee Wellness has developed numerous interventions to enhance employees' holistic well-being and to impact the university's climate and employee functioning. The following holistically focused interventions are available to improve employee well-being:

• Workout@Home online

• Psychological and emotional debriefing sessions

• Well-being webinars

• Self-care workshop

• Thriving, not just surviving campaign

• MBTI team development sessions

• Coping with COVID-19 presentations

• #StayWellStayStrong

• I am Employee Wellness Programme

• CareWays

• Talent management

• Culture and engagement initiatives

• OD and research initiatives

Improving mental health should not be seen in isolation, but rather in collaboration with other well-being areas. We hope that your understanding of mental health has been enhanced by the bigger picture, namely holistic well-being. It is essential to see the bigger picture when it comes to mental health, since this may help to improve overall health and well-being. We also hope that you will create awareness of mental health and utilise and distribute the available resources we offer.

News Archive

UFS receives R13,7 Million for Research into Prehistoric Organisms

2007-03-27

Some of the guests attending the launch of the research contract are: Dr Siyabulela Ntutela (Deputy Director: Biotechnology at the Department of Science and Technology), Dr Godfrey Netswera (Manager of Thuthuka and the Support Programme at the National Research Foundation (NRF)), Dr Esta van Heerden (Platform Manager and lecturer at the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the UFS), Mr Butana Mboniswa (Chief Executive Officer of BioPAD), and Mr Vuyisele Phehani (Portfolio Manager for BioPAD).
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

The University of the Free State (UFS) has been awarded a massive R13,7 million contract to conduct research into prehistoric micro-organisms which live under extreme conditions, for example in mineshafts.

This is one of the biggest research contracts awarded to the UFS in recent years.

The biotechnology research contract was awarded to the UFS by BioPAD, a South African biotechnology company that brokers partnerships between researchers, entrepreneurs, business, government and other stakeholders to promote innovation and create sustainable biotechnology businesses.

The project is endorsed by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation (NRF), which contributes to the bursaries of the 17 postgraduate students on the programme.

The contract involves the establishment of a Platform for Metagenomics - a technique which allows researchers to extract the DNA from microbes in their natural environment and investigate it in a laboratory.

“Through this platform we will be able to understand deepmine microbial populations
and their potential application in the search for life in outer space. It is most likely
that, if life were to be found on other planets in our solar system, it would probably
resemble that which existed millions of years ago on earth. Apart from all this, these
organisms have unique properties one can exploit in biotechnological application for
South Africa and its community,” said Dr Esta van Heerden, platform manager and
lecturer at the UFS Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology.
She is assisted by her collegues, Prof. Derek Litthauer and Dr Lizelle Piater.

“The platform aims to tap into the unique genetic material in South African mines
which will lead to the discovery of new genes and their products. These new and unique products will find application in the medical field (anti-cancer, anti-bacterial en anti-viral cures), the industrial sector (nanotechnology, commercial washing agents and the food industry), environmental sector (pollution management, demolition of harmful metals and other toxic waste),” said Dr Van Heerden.

According to Dr Van Heerden, the Metagenomics Platforms stems from the Life in
Extreme Environments (LExEN) programme which was started in 1994 by Princeton
University in the United States of America (USA) in South African mines with grants
from among others the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and
the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the USA. Other international collaborators
on the project include Geosynec Consultants Inc. (USA), Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (USA), the University of Tennessee (USA) and in South Africa the
Universities of the Witwatersrand, North West and Limpopo and companies like BHP
Billiton, MINTEK and mining companies like Harmony, Gold Fields and AngloGold
Ashanti.

The research field laboratory of the Metagenomics Platform, which was situated in
Glen Harvey, was moved to the Main Campus of the UFS in Bloemfontein. “In this
way the university has become the central hub for all research programmes. We are
also the liaison between the LExEN programme and the various mining companies
involved,” said Dr Van Heerden. The new laboratory was introduced during the
launch of the research contract.

“Our decision to commit BioPAD to this project stems from the company’s commitment to advance human capacity development to strengthen South Africa’s research infrastructure. It is also part of our aim to create and protect intellectual property,” said Mr Butana Mboniswa, Chief Executive Officer of BioPAD.

Talking on behalf of the UFS senior management, Prof. Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector
of Academic Operations, said that the university shares the excitement to be part of
the exploration of unknown forms of life, the discovery of new genes and
their products and in applying newly gained knowledge to better understand our
universe.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
27 March 2007

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