Like all countries, the number of Lao
citizens who suffer from mental health issues are abundant. However,
due to the lack of treatment options readily available to patients,
41,000 people in Laos live with their mental health issues untreated.
Socio-economic development is vital
to the improvement of people’s daily lives, but also heightens the risk
of mental health issues due to the increased pressures of modern
existence. A psychiatrist has explained that mental health issues can be
triggered or provoked by things such as socio-economic difficulties and
other mental burdens, along with inadequate access to diagnosis and
treatment.
At a workshop themed ‘Mental Health
in Laos’ earlier this week, programme manager of the Basic Needs project
and a practicing psychiatrist, Dr ChantharavadyChoulamany, stated that
the biggest obstacles in providing a solution to the mental health
struggles in Laos, is due to the lack of resources for effective
treatments.
Dr Chantharavady went on to explain
that mental disorders affect nearly 12 percent of the world’s
population, an estimated 450 million people, and that one out of every
four people globally will experience a mental illness at some point in
their lives.
Statistics have shown that 70,000
people in Laos have reported mental health issues, but due to
inadequate personnel, facilities and financial resources, only 29,000 of
those people have access to treatment and mental health services.
Dr Chantharavady added, “According to
a survey by Basic Needs, anxiety disorders rank first with a rate of 33
percent followed by schizophrenia with 19 percent, epilepsy at 14
percent, psychosis due to infectious diseases 8 percent, depression 3
percent, substance/alcohol abuse 0.7 percent, dementia 0.5 percent, and
mental retardation 0.1 percent.”
People suffering from mental
illnesses not only have to battle the disorder itself, but with the
stigma from society as well. They are not only discriminated against,
marginalized and shunned in their own community, but in some cases, are
subjected to emotional and physical abuse in both mental health
facilities and by the public. Inadequate quality care due to lack of
qualified health professionals and dilapidated facilities could possibly
lead to further deterioration of their mental state of mind.
Currently, there are just two
hospitals that provide mental health units, Mahosot Hospital and 103
Military Hospital, amassing over 27,000 cases.
During this year’s World Mental
Health Day on October 10, the World Health Organization will be raising
awareness in communities with the aim of ensuring that people with
mental health conditions can continue to live with dignity, with the
theme “Dignity in Mental Health”.
According to WHO, it does so through
the promotion of human rights-oriented policy and law as well as
training of health professionals, respect for informed consent to
treatment, inclusion in decision-making processes, and public
information campaigns.
Source - Laotian Times
