World Mental Health Day to be observed

Jeddah, October 24, SPA -- A week-long activities of the World Mental
Health Day under the theme "Making Mental Health Priority, Scaling up
Services through Citizen Advocacy and Action" will start on Sunday at
the mental health hospital in Jeddah.


The General Supervisor of the campaign and Director of mental health
hospital in Jeddah, Dr. Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz Al-Harthy said that the
awareness campaign on World Mental Health would be comprised of a
number of events, seminars and scientific and cultural events aimed
at all segments of the community to make mental health a priority
among all categories.

Harthy added that the celebration of the World Mental Health Day by
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comes in solidarity with the World Health
Organization (WHO), to re-assure the importance of community
awareness and their right to have access to quality mental health
services at every level of the health care system with all countries
around the world.

He drew attention to the fact that the Kingdom is involved in the Day
activities in raising public awareness about the mental health and to
make it a priority in order to live a happy life.


The activities of World Mental Health Day campaign include awareness
and education in mental health hospital in Jeddah and shopping malls
as well as distribution of posters and dispatch of a medical team to
provide medical consultations.


Al- Harthy also said that the mental and social health witnessed
during the recent years a quantum leap in performance and the
development of mental health programs for children and adolescents.


He pointed out that the Kingdom has made many achievements as the
number of Al-Amal (Hope) hospitals for mental health is now more than
19 hospitals with a capacity of 3,000 beds spread over all parts of
the Kingdom. "These specialized hospitals provide services for the
treatment of addictions and mental health at the same time."


--SPA