Johannesburg - Even before the eruption of the novel coronavirus back in 2020, scores of people around the world had been suffering from a range of mental health ailments.
But the emergence of the global health crisis exacerbated matters, as the deadly virus, as well as its social and financial implications, saw a rapid increase in depression and anxiety.
This includes in South Africa, as the South African Anxiety and Depression Group (Sadag) announced in March 2021, a year after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the country, that its volume of calls doubled after the lockdown announcement.
In just a 12 month period, the organisation said that half a million people had called them for help, an era that will be remembered for high levels of stress and compromised immune systems.
But almost two years since many countries went into some form of lockdown to curb the spread of the virus, infection rates continue to decline with the emergence of a less deadly variant as well as vaccinations.
And while the world attempts to return to a level of somewhat normalcy, the pandemic’s impact on mental health will continue to wreak havoc in years to come.
Many have turned to alternative treatments, and this is where the Japanese art of Kintsugi has continued to rise to acclaim.
The Asian practice involves putting broken pottery pieces back together with a bonded metal. Mental health experts believe that this is built on the notion of embracing flaws and imperfections in order to create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art.
This is often done by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dust or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.
Reconstructing broken ceramic pieces has spiked in popularity in South Africa, with Kintsugi kits available at many prominent local retailers and demonstration videos available across social media platforms.
Benoni-based psychiatrist Dr Eugene Allers can personally testify to the success of the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery in dealing with depression and other mental health issues.
“Recovery from depression is possible, and I tell my patients it’s like the Japanese art of Kintsugi: you begin by piecing yourself together and then learn to appreciate your mended self,” she explained.
“The golden thread running through both Kintsugi and depression is how the recovery process can help you rediscover yourself.”
She explained that Kintsugi is not the treatment, but merely the metaphor used to explain the patients with depression can be helped and treated.
“The treatment for depression is highly effective.”
Allers believes that alternative therapeutic methods such as Kintsugi has spiked in popularity across the globe because an increasing number of people are dealing with mental health issues.
“Depression is on the increase in the world due to various factors, least not due to the pressures and stressors of modern life and having the option of effective treatment has assisted with patients coming forward for treatment.”
But the psychiatrist said this kind of therapy is not as prevalent as it can be in South Africa yet.
“Patient with depression still shy away from receiving treatment as it is still stigmatized. Some patients with depression simply does not know that the treatment is effective and some do not even recognize that depression is an illness that can be treated,” Allers said.
Despite this, the Japanese artform has still helped many people overcome tragedy, including Bonnie Kemske from the UK, who used the practice to deal with her brother’s death.
“Kintsugi restores function, adds beauty and tells a story,” she told The Guardian.
“As our eyes follow the lines of destruction now filled with gold, every crack reveals its tale, and this is Kintsugi's greatest strength: its intimate metaphoric narrative of loss and recovery, breakage and restoration, tragedy and the ability to overcome it.”
While a range of therapeutic strategies have been adopted by mental health practitioners to deal with mental health ailments worsened by the pandemic, Allers believes that Kintsugi could be effective to people from various walks of life.
But she stressed that there are also other robust treatment plans that make it possible to recover from depression and live a fulfilled life.
“The first step is to seek help and confide in your doctor, who will assist you with a course of action,” she said.
“This could include a referral to an appropriate mental healthcare professional that can assist you on your journey to recovery.”
Allers added that other strategies to deal with mental health issues could also include therapy where a psychologist can assist in understanding a patient’s symptoms and causes.
“The use of various therapeutic strategies can assist in re-framing negative cognitive patterns and encouraging positive lifestyle changes.”
She added that there are also new breakthrough treatment options that can help people who’ve been suffering from depression for years to not only feel better but also break their depression.
“With the right combination of treatment, breaking depression is possible, and with new breakthrough medication, people that were once clouded in sadness and hopelessness for years can go on to live a life filled with vitality and hope.”
Strategies, such as Kintsugi, which are implemented to ease mental health issues, are in huge demand as the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated in 2019 that depression affected more than 300 million people, a figure which has grown during the pandemic.
The South African Stress and Health (SASH) study reported at the time that the prevalence of depression in South Africa was close to 10%, and that more women than men were affected by depression.