\n\t\tOther mental health conditions, including depression and suicidal ideation, were also identified.\n\t<\/p>\n
More than 1 300 South Africans who sought help for gambling-related harm were identified as being at high risk of suicide during the 2025-26 financial year.<\/p>\n
The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) said its clinical data showed 1 345 people had high suicide ideation risk profiles after 5 199 individuals were screened for treatment onboarding for associated mental health-related illnesses.<\/p>\n
The screening was conducted through the foundation\u2019s triage and intake pathway, which assesses different profiles of individuals seeking help.<\/p>\n
The figures highlight the extent to which gambling-related harm can intersect with mental illness, debt, substance use, and severe psychological distress.<\/p>\n
The foundation released the figures as South Africa marks Mental Health Awareness Month, calling for a stronger public health response to untreated mental health conditions.<\/p>\n
Gambling harm and mental health<\/p>\n
SARGF executive director Sibongile Simelane-Quntana said mental health assessments formed an important part of the clinical process.<\/p>\n
\u201cAssessments tracking suicidal ideation, as well as alcohol and drug usage, are critical for clinical onboarding,\u201d Simelane-Quntana said.<\/p>\n
She said these assessments helped clinicians determine the extent of gambling-related harm and identify other conditions affecting people seeking assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey assist in determining gambling-related harm, which frequently intersects with other comorbid conditions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHigh levels of stress, anxiety, or depression can drive gambling behaviours or worsen their impact, while substance misuse can amplify financial and emotional vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The foundation said its data demonstrated the complex relationship between gambling behaviour and other social and mental health pressures.<\/p>\n
Alcohol use among callers<\/p>\n
The National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) helpline\u2019s triage and assessments also recorded alcohol consumption among people seeking assistance.<\/p>\n
According to the foundation, 35% of individuals contacting the helpline for the first time reported higher alcohol consumption levels.<\/p>\n
At the same time, 61% said they did not consume alcohol.<\/p>\n
The foundation said assessing alcohol and drug use remained important because substance misuse could increase financial and emotional vulnerability among people experiencing gambling-related harm.<\/p>\n
Debt a major concern<\/p>\n
Debt emerged as another significant issue among people assessed through the counselling line onboarding process.<\/p>\n
The foundation said 83% of those assessed indicated that they had debt they were unable to manage.<\/p>\n
Only 17% said they were still able to manage their debt despite increased financial distress.<\/p>\n
The foundation said the relationship between debt and mental health was both complex and bidirectional.<\/p>\n
Financial insecurity can act as a chronic stressor, contributing to anxiety, emotional exhaustion, sleep disturbances, and feelings of hopelessness. At the same time, poor mental health can affect a person\u2019s ability to maintain employment, manage finances, and meet repayment obligations.<\/p>\n
The foundation said this could create a cycle in which financial difficulties and mental illness exacerbate one another.<\/p>\n
Some required psychiatric care<\/p>\n
The data also showed the level of clinical intervention some people seeking help required.<\/p>\n
During the 2025-26 reporting period, 36 individuals required psychiatric evaluations, while 20 were admitted to mental health facilities for 21-day inpatient treatment programmes.<\/p>\n
The foundation said 33% of those assessed also reported a family history of gambling, pointing to exposure to intergenerational risk.<\/p>\n
An analysis of the annual inpatient cohort found pathological gambling was the most common primary diagnosis.<\/p>\n
Other mental health conditions, including depression and suicidal ideation, were also identified.<\/p>\n
The findings, the foundation said, reinforced the need to consider gambling-related harm within the broader mental health context.<\/p>\n
Mental health comes at an economic cost<\/p>\n
The foundation also highlighted the economic consequences of untreated mental illness.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organisation estimates that untreated mental illness contributes to the loss of 12 billion working days globally each year, costing the global economy US$1 trillion (approximately R16.47 trillion) in lost productivity.<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan (2023-30) estimates that depression and anxiety alone cost the country more than R61.2 billion in lost earnings.<\/p>\n
The framework estimates that scaling up proactive mental healthcare interventions could restore between R60.2 billion and R117.7 billion in productivity over 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the foundation, these figures indicate a paradigm shift: mental healthcare and addiction intervention can no longer be viewed solely as health expenditures,\u201d Simelane-Quntana said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are critical macroeconomic investments in people, productivity, and economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the impact of untreated mental illness extended beyond financial losses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe true cost of untreated mental illness extends far beyond rands and cents into fractured relationships, lost opportunities, and a severely reduced quality of life,\u201d Simelane-Quntana said.<\/p>\n
She said early intervention could strengthen families and communities while supporting the country\u2019s economic resilience.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy prioritising structural, early-intervention clinical support, we are not just building stronger families and healthier communities; we are actively securing South Africa\u2019s national development and economic resilience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Other mental health conditions, including depression and suicidal ideation, were also identified. More than 1 300 South Africans…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":942264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,19215,84,393,6709,394,322691,322692,322693],"class_list":["post-942263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-gambling","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mental-illness","tag-mentalhealth","tag-nohwb","tag-nopreml","tag-nopremm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=942263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/942264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=942263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=942263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=942263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}