BSS, Rajshahi :
Optimum treatment and necessary healthcare facilities for the mentally sick people are very vital to facilitate them to get back their normal life, speakers at a discussion here said yesterday.
They viewed collective effort is urgently needed as all the mental diseases excepting the schizophrenia are curable. Social awareness alongside a positive attitude toward the patients is very vital for their early recovery from mental sickness, the speakers added.
The observation came at a seminar titled “Dignity in Mental Health: Primary Treatment to all Mentally Sick People” held in conference hall of City Bhaban.
Action on Disability and Development (ADD), a UK-based development agency, and Nasirullah Psychotherapy Unit (NPU) of Department of Clinical Psychology of Dhaka University, jointly organized the seminar discussing ways and means on how to expedite primary treatment of the mentally retarded people.
Commissioner of Rajshahi division Abdul Hannan and programme director of NPU Prof Kamal Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury addressed the discussion as chief and special guests respectively with divisional director of health Dr Ashish Kumar Saha in the chair.
Deputy director of Department of Health Dr Abdus Sobhan, Civil Surgeon Dr Ferdous Nilufar, ADD Country Director Shafiqul Islam, chief executive officer of Rajshahi City Corporation Dr ABM Sharif and Prof Anwarul Hassan Sufi from Department of Psychology of Rajshahi University also spoke.
During his keynote presentation, Dr Mamun Hossain, associate professor of Department of Psychiatry in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, said mental illnesses are an under-recognized public health problem in Bangladesh.
“Awareness about mental illness and acceptance of treatment are very low due to social stigma and superstition,” he said adding psychosocial care of mentally sick and disaster affected people constitute a major challenge for the health and the social welfare systems of the country.
Taking advantages of the situation, Dr Mamun said, some quacks and opportunist groups have been working as money- makers through exploiting the patients. He added that the mal-practitioners are pushing the patients toward an endangered condition. Mental health needs to be brought under the surveillance system.
The state level treatment facilities for the mentally disorder patients are very limited, he said and underscored the need for uplifting the scopes to cope with the situation.
Chief guest Abdul Hannan said integration of mental health services intro primary healthcare has become the most viable way of narrowing the treatment gap and ensuring that the common people benefit from mental health promotion.
All the drug addicts especially the intravenous drug users always suffer from mental sickness as the drugs damage their body strengths and the central nervous system. The mental patients are the most vulnerable section of the society.
Optimum treatment and necessary healthcare facilities for the mentally sick people are very vital to facilitate them to get back their normal life, speakers at a discussion here said yesterday.
They viewed collective effort is urgently needed as all the mental diseases excepting the schizophrenia are curable. Social awareness alongside a positive attitude toward the patients is very vital for their early recovery from mental sickness, the speakers added.
The observation came at a seminar titled “Dignity in Mental Health: Primary Treatment to all Mentally Sick People” held in conference hall of City Bhaban.
Action on Disability and Development (ADD), a UK-based development agency, and Nasirullah Psychotherapy Unit (NPU) of Department of Clinical Psychology of Dhaka University, jointly organized the seminar discussing ways and means on how to expedite primary treatment of the mentally retarded people.
Commissioner of Rajshahi division Abdul Hannan and programme director of NPU Prof Kamal Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury addressed the discussion as chief and special guests respectively with divisional director of health Dr Ashish Kumar Saha in the chair.
Deputy director of Department of Health Dr Abdus Sobhan, Civil Surgeon Dr Ferdous Nilufar, ADD Country Director Shafiqul Islam, chief executive officer of Rajshahi City Corporation Dr ABM Sharif and Prof Anwarul Hassan Sufi from Department of Psychology of Rajshahi University also spoke.
During his keynote presentation, Dr Mamun Hossain, associate professor of Department of Psychiatry in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, said mental illnesses are an under-recognized public health problem in Bangladesh.
“Awareness about mental illness and acceptance of treatment are very low due to social stigma and superstition,” he said adding psychosocial care of mentally sick and disaster affected people constitute a major challenge for the health and the social welfare systems of the country.
Taking advantages of the situation, Dr Mamun said, some quacks and opportunist groups have been working as money- makers through exploiting the patients. He added that the mal-practitioners are pushing the patients toward an endangered condition. Mental health needs to be brought under the surveillance system.
The state level treatment facilities for the mentally disorder patients are very limited, he said and underscored the need for uplifting the scopes to cope with the situation.
Chief guest Abdul Hannan said integration of mental health services intro primary healthcare has become the most viable way of narrowing the treatment gap and ensuring that the common people benefit from mental health promotion.
All the drug addicts especially the intravenous drug users always suffer from mental sickness as the drugs damage their body strengths and the central nervous system. The mental patients are the most vulnerable section of the society.
