WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION-BAHRAIN

AGENDA 1: MENTAL HEALTH ACTION PLAN, PROMOTING CARE AND TREATMENT.

NAME: Avika Gaur
Delegate of Bahrain
AGENDA 1: MENTAL HEALTH ACTION PLAN, PROMOTING CARE AND TREATMENT.
Over the past few years, mental health has garnered increased attention as a major public issue.
Even though it is not a contagious disease it is spreading across the globe at a tremendous speed.
According to the data of W.H.O, one in every eight people or around 970 million people around
the world are suffering from a mental disorder. The reasons for the spread of psychological and
mental diseases are copious. The most recent example would be the COVID-19 pandemic,
people who had suffered from this disease have a higher chance of developing anxiety disorders,
impulsivity, depression, panic attacks, somatization disorder etc. The enforced isolation of the
patients and increased fear and concern added to the issue. Another trivial reason would be lack
of bonding with family. With the surging popularity of social media, we are unable to spend
quality time with our family, due to which people feel suffocated and lonely and thereby develop
mental disorders. Looking at the statistics for mental health in Bahrain, 4.9% of the people have
anxiety disorders and 4.5% have depression. According to a survey conducted in Bahrain it was
reported that people with low income and poor education had higher chances of developing a
mental illness. Considering this to be a severe problem, the government of Bahrain has decided
to take multiple steps for the betterment of the society. As per the most recent report, around
26,000 people die of suicide in the middle east. While the depression rates range from 13-18% in
the middle east.
The Crescent Society have seen an improvement in the resources available and organizations
dedicated to educating the public on mental health in Bahrain, one such organization is Bahrain
Red crescent society, a charity founded in 1971, BRCS strives to provide psychological support
to citizens. The organization provides a training program in psychological first aid and holds
various workshops on mental aid in Bahrain along with other gulf countries. There are more
nonprofit organizations working in a similar manner. Besides this there are four outpatient
mental health facilities available in the country, of which 25% are reserved for children and
adolescents only. There are day care treatment units and mental hospitals also available in the
country. Looking at the legislative point of view, a new law addressing mental health has been
passed in the country which will focus on the relationship between patients and psychiatrists and
cover all psychiatric services by the government besides defining rights, obligatory services and
allowed treatments.
Many initiatives have been taken worldwide to combat mental health. WHO launched the WHO
special initiative for Mental Health to ensure access to quality and affordable care for mental
health conditions across 12 different countries covering 100 million people. It has also launched
a WHO mental health report which provides a plan for governments, academics, health
professionals, civil society, and others with an ambition to support the world in transforming
mental health. National Alliance on mental illness is a large mental health organization dedicated
to building better lives for the American population. Almost every country has started similar
initiatives to help fight against mental diseases.

Solutions-
There are various aspects that need to be worked upon to combat mental diseases to the
maximum level. Once these things are practiced on a global level it will become convenient to
combat mental diseases. The delegate of Bahrain would like to propose some of the most
common yet overlooked solutions below:
- We request governments and non-government organization of the world to:
-conduct door to door surveys quarterly among societies asking people about their mental health
and current state of mind, this can help save the lives of those people who develop suicidal
thoughts while suffering from depression.
- conduct enrichment activities at a local level where people are allowed to socialize with their
fellow citizens and have fun cultural activities. This should be done once every 3 months.
-Psychiatrists should be available in every hospital so that people can consult them conveniently.
Their hiring in hospitals should be increased.
-Spread awareness about voicing out problems and spending quality time with family. As
everyone is caught by the fever of social media, which may seem to be entertaining at first but,
it’s a silent killer.
-Develop a secure social media network where cyber bullying is looked after thoroughly. Since
one of the leading reasons for depression among youngsters is due to the trolling and harassment,
they receive online. Strict legal action must also be taken against hackers.

REFERENCES-
https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/collections/Mental_Health_Is_a_Global_Public_Health_Issue.htm
https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_1
https://www.undp.org/arab-states/publications/physical-and-mental-well-being-and-role-
telemedicine-during-covid-19-pandemic-bahrain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6734873/
https://www.un.org/en/healthy-workforce/strategy#:~:text=The%20UN%20System
%20Workplace%20Mental,mental%20health%20and%20well%2Dbeing.
https://www.moh.gov.bh/Services/MentalHealth?lang=en
https://www.zawya.com/en/legal/new-mental-health-law-being-drawn-up-by-bahraini-mps-and-
government-nxlm96u4
https://www.un.org/en/healthy-workforce-home