Helping mental illness in Asia

Hi guys! I am fundraising for my volunteer trip to Sri Lanka, May 30th-June 29th! While I am there I will be helping mentally ill individuals.

The mental health needs of Sri Lanka have continued to increase in recent decades and traditionally mental health services failed to respond to such developments. It is estimated that in tsunami-affected areas 40% of people suffer from common mental disorder and there is a 3% prevalence of severe mental disorder.

Sri Lanka’s suicide rates are amongst the highest globally according to the World Health Organisation and mental health needs in Sri Lanka today are as high as anywhere else in the world. In more recent times the country as a whole is moving away from the traditional cultural stigma that had always been attached to mental health in Sri Lanka. Whilst integrating mental health into the primary care of Sri Lanka’s public health system and private sector still remains challenging, more recently there has been encouraging signs that right tracks are being made to do this.

Systematic training programmes have been introduced to help support mental health officers and for them to then pass on such trainings they receive downwards to the medical staff in their district. Such training included multiple discussion sessions and role-plays that facilitated active learnings and practising core competencies such as assessments of severity of depression/suicide and explanations of side effects to medications to facilitate adherence.

Thus, while I am there I will be working in hospitals as well as clinics in order to help individuals learn coping strategies, rehabilitate, deal with stress, etc.

I would really appreciate it if y’all could help me out!