Dhaka:Speakers at a seminar emphasized the urgent need to enhance social awareness, eradicate stigma and prejudices, and bolster coordinated efforts to ensure access to quality mental health services for everyone, with a particular focus on women and marginalized communities.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the seminar, titled "Ensuring Quality Mental Health Services in Bangladesh," was co-organized by the Department of Clinical Psychology of Dhaka University (DU), Winrock International, and the Bangladesh Clinical Psychology Society (BCPS) at the Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban Auditorium, commemorating World Mental Health Day. The theme for this year was "Lived Experience Heard Real Voices, Real Change."
The event featured SM Ziauddin Hyder, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Affairs, as the chief guest, while DU Pro-VC (Administration) Prof Dr Muhammed Almujaddade Alfasane served as the guest of honour. Dr. Md. Shahanur Hossain, Chairman of the Department of Clinical Psychology of DU, chaired the seminar. Winrock International Country Representative Deeptha Rakhit attended as a special guest, and BCPS President Prof. Dr. M. Kamruzzaman Mozumder delivered the keynote paper.
During his address, the DU Pro-VC highlighted the decline in social interaction, mutual accountability, and responsibility within society. He advocated for increasing the number of mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, and trained healthcare workers, to bolster mental health services. He also called for efforts to eliminate social stigma and superstitions.
Ziauddin Hyder pointed out that approximately 18 percent of adults and 13 percent of children in Bangladesh are affected by mental health issues, with an increasing prevalence among adolescents due to lifestyle changes and excessive technology use. He stressed the importance of identifying the root causes of social isolation among children and ensuring the safety of educational institutions. Hyder also urged for expanded research and strengthened collaboration among the government, universities, and social organizations to make research findings beneficial for grassroots-level individuals.
World Mental Health Day has been observed globally on October 10 since 1992 to raise public awareness about mental health issues. In Bangladesh, the DU Department of Clinical Psychology and BCPS have been collaborating since 1997 to tackle significant barriers to mental healthcare, such as social stigma and inadequate services.