Thirty-one percent of Bangladesh’s population or 50 million people are suffering from mental health disorders, according to a 2016 survey by the National Institute of Mental Health and Research (NIMH&R). For mental health related treatment, there are only 790 seats at the NIMH and Pabna mental hospital with only 220 doctors. Mental health experts say people should visit doctors if they suffer from mental illness. NIMH’s Dr Mekhla Sarkar said the people think they would be labelled “mad” if they visit doctors for mental health issues. “The number of mental health experts is also scant and mental services are neglected here,” she said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 10, 2017 07:41 UTC