SIALKOT
A large number of people from all walks of life participated in a seminar held to spread awareness-on mental health in connection with the World Mental Health Day at Government Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital.
Speakers pledged to educate the society regarding stigmatisation of the psychiatric ailments. Dr Zafar Ali, the principal of Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College Sialkot, presided over the seminar.
Senior psychiatrists Dr Rana Muzammal Shamsher Khan and Dr Shamshad Ahmed Gill delivered lectures on ‘Psychiatric Problems and our Duties’.
Meanwhile, the students of Govt Murray College staged a one-act play on the issue. The experts revealed that the key to continue the momentum to ensure mental health is to step up efforts.
“Policy-makers and the general public are just partly aware of the fact that mental disorders are common and cause burden while most of the mental disorders are easily curable. The image of mental illness is incorrectly associated with images of violence and laziness rather than with suffering, marginalisation and denial of basic rights,” they added.
They narrated that most of health workers were not conversant with modern methods of treatment of mental illness and often do not possess the necessary skills to deal with it. There are a many people who believe that the only way of dealing with mental illness is long term hospital care, they said.
They said that stigma of mental illness gains strength from misconceptions and reinforces them. Efforts are targeted to create a well-informed society on mental health and disorders, they stated. In response to increasing evidence that most of patients with depression and substance abuse disorders do not seek specialised care. The national experts will identify steps to improve mental health care access and quality in the primary care for this purpose, they added.
Dr Zafar Ali urged the media to communicate accurate information instead of sensational depictions or stereotypes to improve the public understanding regarding mental health issues and combat stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses.
Every year, the World Health Organisation celebrates the World Mental Health Day on October 10. The day is celebrated at the initiative of the World Federation of Mental Health and WHO supports it by raising awareness on mental health issues. The theme of the day in 2013 is “Mental Health and Older Adults”.