Mental health is surrounded by misunderstanding, and as a result oftentimes associated with stigma and neglect says Dr Akjemal Magtymova,
WHO Representative to the Republic of Maldives in her Opening remarks at the meeting held in Nasandhura Palace Hotel this morning to finalize the National Mental Health Policy.
Her Speech:
Meeting to finalize the National Mental Health Policy
Opening remarks by Dr Akjemal Magtymova,
WHO Representative to the Republic of Maldives
17 Nov 2014, Male’.
Hon Minister of Defense and National Security and Acting Minister of Health Mr Mohamed Nazim:
Respected State Ministers, Officials of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Law enforcement agencies, non-governmental organizations; colleagues, friends:
Good morning.
Mental health is surrounded by misunderstanding, and as a result oftentimes associated with stigma and neglect.
What is mental health? Mental health is a state of well being in which an individual realizes his or her own potential and can cope with normal stresses of life and can contribute productively to the society. It is an integral component of health and as WHO constitution states “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
Depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia, intellectual disabilities and development disorders including autism….
Health is a very fragile state. … And mental health is not often specific to psychological, personality and genetic factors but relates to multiple socio-economic pressures.
If not directly facing, do we often encounter risks of facing problems of mental health and challenges? Just think of the following:
• Mothers dream of healthy babies born and their physical and emotional development
• We pray to be in good health and age in such a way that our lives or the lives loved ones are not stolen by dementia or Alzheimer
• Think of emergencies – rates of mental disorders hike up two times after the emergencies
• Stress of contemporary live, social discrimination of all forms, physical ill-health are all risk factors
• Substance use and mental health disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide
About half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14. It does not depend on cultures – it is similar across the cultures. Neuropsychiatric disorders are among the leading causes of disability worldwide in young people. Yet the regions of the world with the highest percentage of population under age of 19 have the poorest level of mental health resources. Most low and middle-income countries have only one child psychiatrist for every 1 to 4 million people.
Over 800,000 people worldwide commit suicide every year and suicide is the second cause of death in 15-29-year-olds. For every adult who died from suicide there may be more than 20 attempting it. Substance abuse contribute to many suicides around the world and early identification and effective management are key to ensuring people receive care they need.
Promoting mental health depends on intersectoral strategies:
• Early childhood interventions (eg home visits for pregnant women, pre-school psycho-social activities combined with nutrition)
• Socio-economic empowerment of women and vulnerable groups – improving access to education and employment
• Social support to elderly
• Housing policies and housing improvement
• Violence prevention programmes (eg reducing access to drugs and providing rehabilitation as mental health patients are known to be the victims of abuse but also may need clinical support not to cause violence to others)
• Promoting opportunities for people with mental disorders
In 2013, WHA approved a “Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020”, which is a commitment of WHO MSs to global targets for promoting mental well-being.
In Maldives there is attention to mental health and hopefully the policy document will help to solicit actions into a more coherent structured mental health services in the country with adequate outpatient and inpatient facilities. There is a need for trained doctors, especially to extend support to island level (3 doctors in Male only in 2011). The country needs to develop services to about 44,000 (12,368 adults and 31,392 child and adolescents) patients diagnosed with various forms of disorders.
As I mentioned, it is multi-factored and health, education and a society as a whole should contribute to the implementation of a set of actions to support patients, families and reduce risks to well-being.
Thank you for organizing this meeting and for those who have contributed to the development of the policy and be an active advocate for mental wellbeing. I wish you successful deliberations.
Mental health is surrounded by misunderstanding, as a result oftentimes associated with stigma and neglect
