Speakers at a seminar in Dhaka have called for greater social awareness, efforts to eliminate stigma and prejudice, and coordinated initiatives to ensure access to quality mental health services for all, particularly women and marginalised communities.

The seminar, titled ‘Ensuring Quality Mental Health Services in Bangladesh’, was jointly organised by the Department of Clinical Psychology at Dhaka University (DU), Winrock International and the Bangladesh Clinical Psychology Society (BCPS) at the Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban Auditorium on Tuesday (Nov 3).

The event was organised to mark World Mental Health Day, observed this year under the theme ‘Lived Experience Heard: Real Voices, Real Change’.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Affairs SM Ziauddin Hyder attended the seminar as the chief guest, while DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Muhammed Almujaddade Alfasane was present as the guest of honour.

Speaking at the event, Alfasane said social interaction, mutual accountability and a sense of responsibility were gradually declining in society.

He stressed the need to increase the number of psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and trained healthcare workers to strengthen mental health services, alongside efforts to address social stigma and superstitions.

Ziauddin Hyder said around 18% of adults and 13% of children in Bangladesh were currently experiencing mental health problems. The prevalence was also rising among adolescents due to changing lifestyles and excessive dependence on technology, he added.

He called for identifying the root causes of social isolation among children and making educational institutions safer. He also stressed the need for more research and stronger collaboration among the government, universities and social organisations to ensure research findings reach people at the grassroots level.

The seminar was chaired by DU Clinical Psychology Department Chairman Dr Md Shahanur Hossain, while Winrock International Country Representative Deeptha Rakhit attended as a special guest. BCPS President Professor Dr M Kamruzzaman Mozumder presented the keynote paper.

World Mental Health Day has been observed globally on October 10 since 1992 to raise awareness of mental health issues.

In Bangladesh, DU’s Department of Clinical Psychology and BCPS have been working together since 1997 to address two major barriers to mental healthcare: social stigma and inadequate services.