Bangladesh has 155 psychiatrists and clinical psychiatrists to provide treatment or advice to all the patients in the country suffering from mental illnesses, constituting more than 16 per cent of the adult population, mental health experts said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a discussion, they said that more than 18 per cent children of Dhaka division were suffering from mental illnesses.
Clinical Psychology Department of Dhaka University, Clinical Psychology Centre and National Trauma Centre hosted the discussion at Teachers and Students Centre of DU.
Shahid Akhter Hossain, dean of faculty of Biological Sciences said that murder, harassment of women, domestic violence, only speak of mental illness.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury said, ‘Government has already decided to appoint psychological counsellors in all the schools of the county.’
Emphasising on counselling to prevent social disorders she said the repressed women can get help from National Trauma Centre to recover from their trauma.
She said that due to prohibitive costs establishment of this type of trauma centres across the country was not easy.
‘But, it is possible to make expert counsellors available on mobile to all who need the service across the country,’ she said.
Zahir Uddin, general secretary of Bangladesh Clinical Psychology Society said the government spent only 0.44 per cent of the total national health expenditure.
He described it as very insufficient.
He called for appointing more mental health experts in government hospitals to provide mental health service to people at the grassroots.
Pro vice chancellor of DU Harun-ur-Rashid said that the university would appoint a clinical psychologist at the Dhaka University Medical Centre.
DU vice chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique waspresent among others.
A two day mental health fair has also been organised in the TSC.
