An estimated 14.7 percent of the Eastern Mediterranean Region’s population suffer from mental disorders, the second highest among the WHO six regions, the WTO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean said.
Mental health is one of the key public health issues in our world today, it said in a statement to mark World Mental Health Day, adding that estimates point to more than one billion people have mental disorders, or disorders particularly resulting from drug abuse.
World Mental Health Day aims to ensure the provision of mental health services and psychosocial support to those who need them, and to enhance the resilience of individuals suffering from the effects of war, displacement and climate emergencies by strengthening cooperation between the public, private sectors and civil society, and setting mental health within the priorities of health, development and humanitarian work, it said.
World Mental Health Day, titled “Mental health is a universal human right” this year, urges all government agencies and non-governmental organizations to join forces to improve mental health throughout life, said the statement.
The WTO stressed the importance of support and investment to provide treatment for mental health conditions, promote social integration, reduce stigma and discrimination and protect the rights of vulnerable groups.
“Mental health is a basic human right guaranteed to everyone,” said WTO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed Al-Mandhari. “This means that every individual, everywhere, should be able to enjoy the highest possible level of mental health, which includes protecting people from risks related to mental disorders and ensure the right to care that combines high quality and accessibility,” he added.
“People with mental problems should have access to health services in a manner that preserves their dignity, and that they should not be deprived of their right to freedom, independence and integration into society,” he pointed out.
A mental health condition should not, in any way, be a reason to deprive a person of his/her human rights, or exclude them from decisions related to their health, but in many parts of the world people with conditions continue to suffer from a wide range of human rights violations and discrimination. This is why many of them are forced to isolate themselves from community life, Al-Mandhari said.
World Mental Health Day, which is annually marked on October 10, is an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health issues and mobilize efforts to support mental health, the statement said.
Source: Jordan News Agency