Attitudes to mental illness need change
People have to change their negative mindset about mental sickness and should be aware about mental diseases to improve the country's mental health situation which is as important as physical health, experts said at a roundtable yesterday.
They said the public and private medical college hospitals need to launch a psychiatric unit to widen the health service.
The speakers came up with the remarks at the roundtable conference "Mental diseases: Reality and support for treatment" organised by Bangla daily Prothom Alo in association with Beacon Pharmaceuticals Ltd at the newspaper's office in Dhaka.
“Many people in the country cannot identify their mental sickness, and many rural people don't even know what mental disease is,” said Ebadul Karim, managing director of Beacon Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Prof Mohammad Ahsanul Habib, former director of Pabna Mental Hospital, said people have negative thoughts about mental sickness and the persons taking treatment at mental hospitals.
He said the patients' “stigma” can be removed if they can be treated at general hospitals.
Dr Abdullah Al-Mamun, head of psychiatry department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said the mental health issue can be included in primary healthcare system if the medical colleges take steps to launch the psychiatric unit.
Resources and manpower also need to be increased there to provide the service smoothly, he said.
Golam Rabbani, president of Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists, said mental sickness can be cured if its treatment starts early and the patient's family provide enough support.
Sylhet Women's Medical College Principal Prof Mohammed Rezaul Karim sought help from the pharmaceutical companies to reduce the treatment cost of mental diseases.
Director of National Institute of Mental Health Prof Abdul Hamid, General Secretary of Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists Prof Waziul Alam Chowdhury and Prothom Alo Associate Editor Abdul Qayyum also spoke.
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