World Mental Health Day 2017

Dhaka: World Mental Health Day

Speakers at a press conference at Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) called for taking comprehensive steps for preventing the use of drugs among women, saying that drug addiction affects women's mental health as well as causes other health problems.

Drug addiction among women is gradually increasing due to various reasons. Female drug addicts are affected more than their male counterparts. But the scope of treatment and rehabilitation services for them is not satisfactory in the country. Necessary steps should be taken to address the problem, they said.

They made the remarks while addressing a press conference at Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) conference room at Dhanmondi in the capital.

Ahsania Mission Female Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre organized the programme, marking the World Mental Health Day being observed across the world, including in Bangladesh.

Presenting a survey report, they said that most women addicts (56%) took yaba, 33% sleeping pill, cigarettes were used by 32%, wine by 28%, ganja by 26%, phensidyl by 9%, heroin by 5%, pathedine by 3%, jarda by 2% and dandy by 1%.

It was observed that 43% of women addicts took to the path out of curiosity while 34% were motivated by their friends and other known people. Addiction creates different health problems, they said.

Mentioning the connection between physical and mental health, they said that it would be possible to avoid many unexpected things if mental health issues received more importance. Hence, it is imperative to address all those issues in the interest of maintaining good health of our people.

The speakers stressed the importance of raising awareness of drug prevention among females. “The role of families is more important in combating the menace”.

Ishrat Sharmin Rahman, clinical psychologist of National Trauma Counseling Centre of Women and Children Affairs Ministry, Kamal Ahmed Chowdhury, acting chairman of Clinical Psychology Department of Dhaka University, Sharmin Abedin Hira, counselor of Ahsania Mission Female Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre.

Moderated by Iqbal Masud, chief of health sector of Dhaka Ahsamia Mission (DAM), Mohammad Amir Hossain, psychologist of Dhaka Ahsamia Mission (DAM), presented the keynote paper at the function.