The South African Stress and Health (SASH) study: A scientific base for mental health policy

Abstract

This special issue of the South African Medical Journal is devouted to the South African Stress and Health (SASH) survey. This study is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, SASH is the first nationally representative epidemiological survey of common mental disorders in South Africa, or indeed in Africa. Secondly, SASH used a similar methodology to other surveys in the World Mental Health Survey (WMHS), allowing comparison of local findings with those in a range of high-, low- and middle-income countries. Thirdly, SASH had a particular focus on psychological trauma, and so provides a unique perspective on this potentially important risk factor for mental disorder.