Psychology, mental health care and the future: Is appropriate transformation in post-apartheid South Africa possible?

In accepting the principles that psychology and politics are intertwined and that major political transformation in South Africa is inevitable, the question that arises is to what extent appropriate transformation of the mental health care system is possible in a post-Apartheid state. A variety of factors need to be considered in exploring this question: the affordability of extending the mental health service; the expense of tertiary care; the increased demand for treatment; Apartheid mental health professionals' resistance to change; the inclusion of non-professionals within the care system, and community involvement; and the problems posed by having residential areas still occupied by certain racial groups in a post-Apartheid society. All these factors are likely to make the transformation of psychology and the mental health care system more difficult to achieve.mental health psychology South Africa Apartheid post-Apartheid transformation future professionals