Our Work in Mental Health
The mental health work of IAM started in 1996 in Herat. It was a response to the high suicide rate among the women of the region.
At that time there was hardly any awareness and understanding of mental health issues. This was true both in the society and among government officials. Meanwhile, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health had declared mental health care as one of its priorities.
The goal of the Mental Health Programme is to “contribute to the efforts of Afghan Government and the private sector to improve the mental health of the Afghan people”.
The Programme aims to build the capacity of professional medical staff and to raise the awareness about mental health problems in communities.
Since 2006, IAM´s mental health programme has systematically trained all primary health care providers (i.e. community health supervisors, nurses/ midwives and doctors) throughout the Western Region to carry out mental health services in the health facilities. The programme has also focused on training non-medical professionals (like teachers and religious teachers) in the Western and Northern Region, producing TV, radio programs, and publishing a quarterly magazine to raise awareness about mental health matters.
Over the years the Mental Health Programme has expanded and shifted over the years into a variety of different capacities.
Our previous projects include the Mental Health Training Centre-Herat, which functions as an outpatient clinic where doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals receive further training in mental health, was transferred over to the government in 2017-2018. The Community Mental Health Project-Herat focused on educating the larger public about mental health issues, and came to a close in 2017. The Mental Health Training Centre-Mazar, which was an extension of the work that has been going on in western Afghanistan, closed in 2016.
Our Current Work
Currently, the Mental Health Programme consists of four projects that started in 2018. These projects include the Community Based Mental Health Project, which aims to sustainably improve the lives of People with Psychosocial Disabilities (PPSD) and their families through integrated social, psychological and medical care and increased social inclusion; the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Project, of which aims to create sustainable improvement in mental health and full inclusion into community life for children with psycho-social disabilities (CPSD); the Youth Emotional Resiliency Project, which aims to sustainably improve the emotional resilience of young people in the western Afghanistan; and the Positive Parenting Project, which aims to reduce violence against children both at school and in the home. Find out more about each project by clicking their respective links.
Posts about Mental Health Programme 28
How counselling helped Jamila get back to her normal life Jamila (pseudonym) was married 5 years ago and is a 23-year-old woman. She now has 2 children and lives with her […]
Encouraging Others to Get Help We have all likely noticed when someone was struggling before. We may even know someone who is struggling right now. Sometimes it seems easier to […]
The Importance of Ethical Treatment Ethical treatment of patients and their right to fair treatment are standards medical professionals value globally. The significance of ethical standards is essential to all […]
Stress can have physical symptoms Tahmina (pseudonym) was a young woman who was brought to the clinic by her father and sister. When she presented to the clinic, she was […]
The Story of a Married Couple A woman presented to the clinic with her husband. She had severe depression because of the intensive domestic violence she suffered at the hands […]
Mental Health Course and Subsequent Treatment Proves Effective Ensuring that patients with mental health issues receive appropriate, quality treatment is incredibly important. One of the doctors who had participated in […]