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“Mental health is a universal human right.” With this slogan, the World Health Organization called on the World Health Organization, during Mental Health Awareness Month, to spread the necessary awareness and measures that promote and protect mental health, as it is a universal right. This right includes protection from risks. Is providing mental health care services an actual primary need for Lebanese society?

There is no doubt that in the face of the bleak reality, there is rarely talk about the symptoms that a person may feel as a result of circumstances that destroy his ability to bear more tragedies. Therefore, on the occasion of Mental Health Awareness Month, we aspire, through the stories told by individuals to “An-Nahar,” to break the taboo and abolish what some believe is “the stigma.”

Lamia

The young woman, Lamia, told Al-Nahar that psychological treatment allowed her to improve herself on various levels. She, who works as a psychotherapist, did not hesitate to resort to therapy in order to understand her feelings, strengths and weaknesses, stressing that this allowed her to understand her body and way of thinking. She adds: “I need someone to talk to, especially after a long day of dealing with psychological disorders or problems that may eventually affect me. Even though I see patients all day, I have to get rid of the burden on my shoulders, and one of the best ways to achieve this goal is, I thought Share my feelings with someone.” However, she confirms that “during treatment, she does not share the details of the cases she is experiencing, but rather limits herself to talking about her feelings in order to be able to control and understand them in an in-depth way.”

Yara

For her part, Yara does not trust the existence of a large percentage of worthy psychotherapists, especially in areas far from the capital. Therefore, she turned to institutions that provide these services, and took the time to choose someone she deemed appropriate to accompany her in her treatment, for fear that he would “destroy” her.

She says: “Before my journey with psychotherapy, I considered that life might become better with the availability of financial liquidity, especially since during our childhood, the financial obstacle stood in the way of our ambition. Therefore, I was convinced that money buys happiness. But I reached a stage where I got what I had hoped for, and I remained In a bad psychological situation, from anxiety, to psychological pressure, to separation anxiety disorder, I decided to explore myself more and resort to psychological help. From here, it became clear to me that the family problems that I suffered from when I was young were still haunting me and affecting most of my decisions. But I began to understand myself more and change my situation to improve.”

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In turn, Ali says that the one who pushed him to receive treatment was his friend, stressing that what comforted him was forming an objective point of view towards crises. He adds: “I feel comfortable telling a stranger the details of my life. At the same time, he will not judge me or hold me accountable. This helped me gain a new point of view, and even contributed to enhancing and improving self-confidence. After undergoing several therapy sessions, I was able to improve my work and professional relationships, as well as About putting an end to bad influences.”

He pointed out, “The most prominent obstacle we face in our Lebanese society is admitting to going to a psychotherapist, as the individual is automatically classified as crazy or sick, while most individuals are in dire need of psychotherapists. Psychological treatment is about self-discovery.”

According to the World Health Organization, “Good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being. However, one in eight people in the world lives with a mental health condition that can affect their physical health, well-being, how they communicate with others, and the ways Live it.

Mental ill health also affects an increasing number of adolescents and young people. People living with mental health conditions around the world continue to suffer from a wide range of human rights violations, while many cannot access the mental health care they need or may only receive care that violates their human rights. Despite the importance of resorting to psychological treatment, where are the medical centers specialized in mental health in Lebanon? What role does the Ministry of Health play in providing the necessary services to its citizens?

The Director of the National Mental Health Program at the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Rabie Shamai, confirmed in an interview with “An-Nahar” that “The Ministry of Health has been working to improve the mental health department since 2013, through restructuring with the World Health Organization, in cooperation with 60 partners.” We were able to implement the first mental health strategy, which was from 2015 to 2020, as we worked on laws, services, and research.”

In this regard, Shamai pointed out the availability of approximately 60 primary health care centers to provide psychological health services with psychiatrists, therapists, and almost free health services, adding: “We have four new mental health departments, including one in Rafik Hariri Hospital, and we are currently working with Tannourine Hospital.” To open a section.

Below is the link to the list of health care centers published by the Ministry of Health:

Regarding Lebanon’s national mental health strategy from 2023 to 2030, Chamaei explains that it seeks to enable individuals to enjoy better mental health, and to prevent mental disorders by spreading awareness and expanding the scope of services, as well as providing individuals with a support system, resources, and sufficient knowledge that allows them to turn to Services available to improve their health.”

The most important objectives of the strategy are:

-Ensure everyone has easy, timely access to high-quality, affordable mental health services.

-Ensuring greater awareness of mental health, reducing misconceptions, and enhancing the application of procedures that have proven effective in preventing mental ill-health.

-Ensuring more data and implementing more useful research to enhance actions taken to improve mental health.

The program had worked with the World Health Organization, in cooperation with many partners, on the “Step by Step” application, which can be downloaded for free, and through which the individual receives psychological support under the supervision of a psychotherapist, as well as a project to manage a hotline or life line at No. 1564, for psychological support for suicide prevention with the “embrace” association.

If there is an imminent risk of suicide, please call Lifeline immediately on 1564 (available 24/7).

For her part, the head of the “embrace” association, Mia Atwi, confirms that “the association seeks to ensure sound mental health and access to care as a basic human right that must be fulfilled for all members of society, and we achieve our mission by spreading awareness, advocacy, and providing services.”

Atwi points out, “It is important to pay attention to the warning symptoms that an individual may suffer from. It is our duty to spread the necessary awareness to distinguish the symptoms that inevitably affect an individual’s life at various levels. There is no doubt that with successive crises, the provision of services has declined with the migration of a large number of staff.” Medical services, which met with high demand from citizens, especially since old statistics indicate that more than 25 percent of the Lebanese suffer from psychological disorders, so what about today’s situation?

2023-10-15 10:53:00

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