DUSHANBE, October 10, 2008, Asia-Plus — The 2nd republican forum on the mental health issues opened in Dushanbe today morning.
The forum, which is held within the framework of a Week dedicated to World Mental Health Day, has brought together psychotherapy specialists and representatives of the MoH, international organizations and NGOs to discuss issues related to stigma and discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities, social isolation of them, as well as problems of insufficient financing of psychiatric aid.
As it had been reported earlier, a series of activities dedicated to the World Mental Health Day are organized in the country fro October 3 to October 10.
World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time in 1992. It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health by the then Deputy Secretary General Richard Hunter. The day is officially commemorated every year on October 10.
The 2008 World Mental Health Day material will focus on where we came from and what needs to be done yet for the future. “We will highlight different levels of advocacy and its role in creating change and the need for scaling up services so all people have access to information, personalized treatment, and resources to assist them in all aspects of their recovery,” the World Federation for Mental Health said.
According to the MoH, 17 psychoneurological hospitals currently function in Tajikistan. According to data from the Republican Center for Psychiatry, 42,000 people have been registered with the center so far.
