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Half of us are alcoholics, one in five mentally ill
View(s):By Anushiya Sathisraja
One in five people suffer from a mental illness and only a fifth of these receive treatment, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reveals in a recent study. “We have failed because our services are still centralised and only available in the cities, NIMH Director Dr. H. M. Kapila Wickramanayaka.
“Minor mental health disorders due to war trauma and postwar factors are widely prevalent and are not being addressed adequately, if at all,” he said. Quoting statistics from the study, he said 13 per cent suffered from post-traumatic disorder (PTSD), 49 per cent from anxiety disorders and 42 per cent from depression.
Because of the stigma attached to mental illness, families are reluctant to accept that a family member is a sufferer. “There are still people who believe that mental illness is a cause of some unseen power and that performing a religious activity will cure the patient,” Dr. Wickramanayaka said,
Community-based services should be improved to address the issue. “Earlier, patients had to come to us but now we go to them, and also, rather than restricting treatment to the disease we should be able to help patients change other factors that contribute to the illness,” he said.
NIMH Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Neil Fernando said about 200 patients visit the Colombo National Hospital daily and receive attention over an average four-hour period “during which time there is little that we can do”. He said there were very few psychiatrists and doctors trained in psychiatry in the country.
Around 10 suicides are reported daily island-wide, with half of the victims having suffered from depression. “Mostly, it’s youth who are inclined to attempt suicide,” Dr. Fernando said.
According to Health Ministry statistics from 2015, half the population suffers from alcoholism.
Due to the increase in alcohol abuse victims are vulnerable to various kinds of mental illnesses, Dr. Fernando said, adding, “We also see a very high prevalence of addiction to narcotics such as heroin and cannabis in the country in the recent past.”
World Mental Health Day was commemorated late last week and this year’s theme is “Psychological and Mental First Aid”. Officials involved in mental healthcare will organise programmes with the relevant target groups, elders’ homes, community organisations and schools.