Nazim: Poor mental health increases violence

Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Health Mohamed Nazim has said that the rise in mental health problems increases the chances of drug problems and violence in the society.

The minister made this remark in his speech at the inauguration of a workshop at Nasandhura Palace Hotel today, to establish a national policy on mental health.

“In order to reduce mental health problems, we must talk about them and provide treatment to people who suffer from these problems. If this is not done, the situation will get worse. The illness will affect the person’s daily life, and increase the chances of unemployment, drug addiction, violence, and so on,” said Nazim.

He noted that mental illnesses can be overcome with proper treatment, and said that Health Ministry would establish a mechanism to facilitate treatment for such patients at tertiary hospitals.

The one-day seminar to put together a national policy on mental health is carried out by the Ministry of Health, with assistance from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Health Ministry said that the purpose of establishing a national policy on mental health was to allow patients to return to the society, by making the programs and treatments easily accessible.

The policy would also focus on promoting good mental health and expanding the services in this regard through decentralisation, the Health Ministry said.