More focus needs to be placed on mental health globally, says Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy as the world observed World Mental Health Day 2011 Monday.
In a release to the media, the minister said it is appalling to see so many persons living with mental health problems.
Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy
“On World Mental Health Day 2011, I believe it is really and truly an insane condition that today so many of us are fighting an uphill battle for recognition of mental health as an imperative for the elimination of poverty and for the attainment of the goal of health for all with physical, social and mental health for every global citizen.” He said it is, ” an insane situation” that millions the world over are being made poor, lives being made miserable or will die prematurely because of the reluctance to recognise mental, neuropsychiatric and substance abuse disorders as major reasons for poor health, disability and under- development in the world.
Ramsammy said though a campaign started to have the world recognise that the non- communicable diseases (NCDs) pose as a barrier to development, it was also recognised that mental and neuropsychiatric and substance abuse disorders are also significant components of the battle against NCDs.
“We included as indispensable the neuropsychiatric disorders and substance abuse as NCDs. We believed then, as we do now, that removing the mental, neuropsychiatric and substance abuse disorders as significant NCDs represent too grave a mistake.” He stressed the necessity for countries to continue to struggle to ensure that neuropsychiatric disorders and substance abuse are not forgotten.
There is no good health without mental health and there is no way of reducing and eliminating poverty if we are not serious about addressing the neuropsychiatric disorders,” he emphasised.
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