Sharing Positive Treatment Experiences: A Path to Breaking the Stigma of Psychiatry

The Director General of the Mental Health Office at the Ministry of Health, stressing the need to reduce social stigma surrounding psychiatric disorders, said: Sharing positive treatment experiences can encourage more people to seek mental health services.

The Director General of the Mental Health Office of the Ministry of Health emphasized the need to reduce the social stigma of psychiatric disorders and said: Recounting the positive experiences of treatment can encourage more people to receive mental health services.

According to Mehr reporter, Mohammad Reza Shalbafan, Director General of the Mental Health Office of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, attended Rozbeh Hospital on the occasion of Health Week and emphasized the need to increase public awareness about psychiatric disorders and said: Recounting the positive experiences of people from visiting psychiatrists and psychologists, along with the narration of difficult experiences, can help reduce social stigma, encourage people to receive specialized services, and expand the conversation about mental health in society.

Referring to the beginning of mental health week, he said: Every year, programs are organized to increase public awareness in accordance with the conditions of society and the global slogan of mental health. Programs that focus on the narrative of human experiences can provide an opportunity to talk about mental health and people's experience of receiving specialized services.

Shalbafan stated that the social stigma caused by psychiatric disorders is still one of the serious obstacles for people to refer to a psychiatrist and psychologist, and added: Many people talk about their negative experiences, which is their natural right; However, we rarely see people's positive experiences of visiting psychiatrists, psychologists and working with social workers.

He continued: The more people we can encourage to express their positive experiences, the more ground will be provided to reduce the social stigma associated with psychiatric disorders and expand the conversation about mental health at the general level of society, especially among families.

Referring to the role of the media in reflecting human experiences and issues related to mental health, Shalbafan said: Today is also named as media day and the media play a very important role in narrating invisible sufferings and transmitting human experiences.

He added: With the expansion of the virtual space, every person can play a media role through the content he publishes and be effective in reflecting human experiences and increasing society's awareness.

Shalbafan further appreciated the colleagues of Rozbeh Hospital, including the members of the psychiatry department of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and the colleagues of the Vice-Chancellor of Health of this university and said: "Seraj centers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences have very good performance and provide valuable services in the field of mental health."

He also asked medical students, psychiatric assistants, psychology students, psychologists and mental health activists to consider the Office of Mental, Social and Addiction Health of the Ministry of Health as their professional home.

In the end, Shalbafan emphasized: the office of mental, social and addiction health of the Ministry of Health is one of the specialized departments of this ministry, whose main focus is on mental and social health; An area that is an important part of the concerns of today's society.