Family plays major role as first help provider to mental health patients: Health Minister

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, Dec 31: Minister for Health and Population Dr Sudha Gautam said that family plays a major role as the first help provider to mental health patients. 

While addressing a program joinlty organized by Health Journalists Forum Nepal and KOSHISH, here today, Dr Gautam said that many of the she said that the family can play a useful role in dealing with the mental health issues of family members.

She stressed that mental health has been kept as a priority by the health ministry and the government. 

The Health Minister said, "Family can be a major tool as the first help provider to mental health patients. Using a method of' Having heartfelt conversations, active listening, by a family member can help a mental health patient to recover'. Many recover from this, and only when all these resorts fail, then we need a psychiatrist. Therefore, the family can be a source of recognizing and dealing with mental health issues in the family."

Saying that a multi-sectoral approach is needed to treat mental health issues as a result of many external influence that triggers mental health. 

According to her, all aspects of medicine, be it allopathic, Ayurveda, or traditional healers, need to be inculcated in the treatment approach. It’s a mental peace that the non-traditional method offers who patients who believe in that, therefore, incorporating all in the treatment process gives the best solution. 

There needs to be a standardized process in place for the authentication of those working in mental health fields, for it helps to minimize the tricksters that appear. 

Similarly, Secretary of the MoHP Dr Bikash Devkota said that mental health issues have been on the rise and all age groups have been affected by them. 

He said that home, school, and workplace play a deciding factor in influencing mental health; therefore, there needs to be a comprehensive treatment plan for its treatment. 

He said, "Health: Beyond the health sector needs to be adopted while dealing with mental health issues. Pesticides, chemicals, the environment, all impact mental health; therefore, a multi-faceted approach needs to be adopted to give the best treatment plan."