Poor suffer the most from mental illness
WHO estimates that more than 75 percent people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders living in developing countries do not receive any treatment or care due to lack of services in primary level although inexpensive and effective treatment can be implemented
There is noteworthy negligence exists in the attitude towards the word 'mental illness'. Mental health has never been placed as priority in the healthcare system of a developing country like Bangladesh. For long, people with mental illness have been treated with chain, beaten brutally, indigenous and irrational ghostly system. As there is significant lack of mental health services in the primary level, the poor, rural and marginalised people are the common victim of maltreatment, stigma and discrimination.
Contrary to the popular belief, mental healthcare is not a luxury item on the health agenda of a developing country. Improvement in mental health services does not require sophisticated and expensive technologies. "It costs $2 per person per year — it is one of the best buys," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. Experts opined that increasing capacity of the primary healthcare system for delivery of simple and inexpensive care to recognise, treat mental health illness should be implemented immediately. For this, WHO has recently launched guidelines for primary care doctors and nurses to treat patients debilitated by depression and psychosis as well as neurological ailments including epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
In order to shed the light of proper knowledge, improve mental health through primary care, World Mental Health Day is going to be observed tomorrow with the theme "Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health".
An estimated one in four people globally will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. One national survey in Bangladesh reveals 16.1 percent of adult population and 18.4 percent children are suffering from mental illness. But a large majority of these people are poor, maroon and living rural areas where mental health is a least priority in health care and receive no medical care at all or seek indigenous treatment.
Most often, physical and mental health illness go hand in hand. People with chronic illness like diabetes, cancer, heart illness have coexisted mental illness that often undetected and untreated. So, better integration is crucial between mental illness and physical health specially at the primary level where first contact is made.
Most importantly, we need to shift our attitude towards mental illness. As a general people, we need to raise our voice against the odds, stigma and maltreatment. As a physician, we need to treat the patient as a whole, not only treat the body as disease identity. As a policy maker, we should prioritise mental health with appropriate policy implementation, awareness programme and proper fund allocation.
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