Mental Health Program
Christophe Mortier
"Mental health is a global health problem
and ranks fourth in the list of top 10 deadly diseases worldwide"
- World Health Organization
Hope Foundation with
Kulczyk Foundation support introduced the Mental Health Program in 2019.
The National Institute of Mental Health, with some technical support from WHO, found in the “National Mental Health Survey, Bangladesh 2018-19” that nearly 17% of adults in Bangladesh are suffering from mental health issues, 92.3% of whom do not seek medical attention.
According to the survey, 14% of children aged between seven to 17 years suffer from mental health issues and 94.5% of them do not seek medical attention.
Although the number of people suffering from mental illness is rising in Bangladesh, proper medical care is being hindered as the mental health sector has been confronted with many challenges, including an acute shortage of skilled providers.
To address the existing shortage of mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) in Bangladesh, HOPE Foundation, with the financial support of Kulczyk Foundation, introduced a Mental Health Program to its scope of services in 2019. The program aims at providing mental health and psychosocial supports for both host and Rohingya communities living in the district of Cox’s Bazar.
Hope Foundation’s mental health team has been providing direct mental health and psychosocial supports to beneficiaries through individual counseling, support groups and community mobilization and awareness-raising activities.
The team offers services at the Hope Hospital, Hope Field Hospital for Women as well as in the Rural Birthing Centers.
Following Hope's mandate to support maternal and infant health from conception to birth, the mental health team ensures that supports are offered to women in their postpartum period in addition to supporting those who have experienced obstetric fistulas.
The mental health team has received mhGAP training and is supported by a local psychiatrist who visits the Hope Field Hospital for Women twice a month. The team can also rely on international experts, including four psychiatrists, for clinical advice.
