Screening of 3.2 Million Iranians / Free Psychological Services
The Director General of the Mental, Social Health and Addiction Office at the Ministry of Health announced the screening of approximately 3.2 million Iranians for crisis-related psychological disorders.
Dr. Mohammad Reza Shalbafan added: Considering the events of last year and the crises that occurred in the country, since the beginning of the year and at the same time as the 12-day war and other crises, including the Ramadan war and the events after that, mental health experts and psychologists of the deputy health department of the country's medical sciences universities, who are based in comprehensive health service centers and psychosocial health centers in Siraj, based on previous training, followed psychosocial health interventions in crises and disasters as one of the main principles of their interventions at the country level.
He added: In many cases, mental health experts went to the affected areas and screened the survivors, including people who were injured during the crisis and were hospitalized and then discharged, the families of people who were injured and died, as well as people who came to comprehensive health service centers across the country with various symptoms.
The Director General of the Mental Health, Social and Addiction Office of the Ministry of Health continued: Psychosocial interventions in crises and disasters were followed as one of the main activities of mental health experts.
Referring to the type of services provided, Shalbafan said: These interventions include training and short-term psychotherapies regarding the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder, and if people are considered positive in terms of these symptoms, group interventions and in some cases individual interventions are provided for them.
He added: In these interventions, people are taught how to manage stress and how to deal with symptoms, which is called "PFA" or psychological first aid. This method is one of the famous and effective methods that has gradually grown in our country since years ago, and Iran's experience in this field is prominent and important in the country as well as in the region.
Shalbafan said: In addition to these measures, interventions related to bereavement and bereavement management in crisis situations for children and adolescents as well as adults are among the important things that are provided by mental health experts. All these measures require public information, education and promotion of mental health literacy at the community level so that people can cooperate in this field in crisis situations.
Free consultation of 700 psychologists in the 190 system
Shalbafan pointed out that some people may not want to use public sector services or refer to comprehensive health centers for various reasons, and said: In crisis situations, different people may be injured or even have problems after the end of the crisis, for this reason, by improving mental health literacy, people are advised to access any center or facility that public services provide and that they can refer to.
He added: In this direction and in the middle of the war and war crisis, with the cooperation of various departments, including the inspection office, performance evaluation and response to complaints, public relations and information center, addiction social mental health office and network management center, line 9 of the 190 system was activated.
The Director General of the Mental Health, Social and Addiction Office of the Ministry of Health continued: About 700 psychologists in the country from the middle of the war until now, answer people's calls from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
According to Shalbafan, the interventions provided in this system are mostly short-term, and short-term calls are made to manage a person's stressful situation or to answer their questions about their own or other family members' mental health concerns. If a person needs specialized and longer-term services, they can go to a comprehensive health center near their place of residence to receive mental health services, and all these services are free.
Providing pharmaceutical services in comprehensive health centers and Siraj
Shalbafan also said about pharmaceutical services: A significant number of people who have problems in critical situations may need to receive medicine. If the person's need is limited to general medicines for basic stress management or sleep control, family doctors in comprehensive health centers may be able to perform the necessary interventions.
He continued: If a person needs specialized medical services, psychiatrists in mental and social health centers or Siraj are ready to provide these services for free if the person is referred from comprehensive health centers.
The activity of 148 Seraj centers across the country
The Director General of the Office of Mental, Social and Addiction Health of the Ministry of Health said: Currently, 148 Siraj centers are active across the country, and this has been achieved with the help of all universities of medical sciences, the support of various departments of the Ministry of Health, the support of the Minister of Health and the planning of the Deputy Health, Network Management Center and Social Mental Health Office.
He added: At the end of last year and at the beginning of the Ramadan war crisis, there were 104 centers, and as soon as the first phase of the war and the initial crisis ended, the process of expanding them began at the beginning of May.
Shalbafan continued: The same 104 centers provided full service during the war crisis, but from the beginning of May, the development process of the centers began and the 150th center was launched in Minab. Until today, less than 6 months have passed since the initial cessation of the war crisis, about 148 centers are serving the people throughout the country, and we see the opening of new centers almost every week.
He emphasized: Psychiatry, psychology and social work services may be provided sporadically in different centers and by different organizations, but the integration of services in the sense of having a center where both psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers provide services to the people for free is not available anywhere in the country except in Siraj centers.
The Director General of the Office of Mental, Social and Addiction Health of the Ministry of Health recommended that people should use both psychological services in comprehensive health centers and specialized services in Siraj centers through the referral system.
He also appreciated the cooperation of the Ministry of Interior, Social Affairs Organization, governorates, Ministry of Education, Welfare Organization, Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and other institutions in implementing this program and said: In every city where we witnessed the success of the Siraj program, good things have happened in the field of health promotion and prevention of problems such as suicide attempts and death by suicide.
According to him, this issue shows that inter-departmental cooperation and providing accessible services to the people can be helpful and open the way in this field.
Emphasis on referring people to mental health centers
Emphasizing again the need for people to use mental health services, Shalbafan said: People who, for any reason, have experienced problems and crises, bereavement or faced with traumatic scenes in the past year, which was a bitter year for the country, and need interventions, can refer to the Comprehensive Health Service Centers or Siraj Centers to receive services, with the assurance that the Ministry of Health and Medical Sciences Universities adhere to the professional principles of medical interventions and professional ethics as always.
The Director General of the Mental Health, Social and Addiction Office of the Ministry of Health added: People who do not want to visit in person for any reason can also contact the psychologists of the Ministry of Health with a simple and free call on line 9, 190, raise their concerns, receive training and benefit from the necessary assistance.
Screening of 3.2 million people since the beginning of the war crisis
Shalbafan said: From the beginning of the crisis of the third imposed war until today, about three million and 200 thousand Iranian people have been screened by our colleagues for mental health disorders related to the accident, and a significant number have been referred to receive specialized services. These people have received psychological services, psychotherapy, drug treatments and assistance.
He emphasized: Wherever people have a need, they should know that the Ministry of Health, due to its inherent duty and decades of history of supporting the people to preserve their lives, mental and health, considers it its duty to be the refuge of the people.
The Director General of the Office of Mental, Social and Addiction Health of the Ministry of Health said: "For us, all Iranian people are respected and valuable, and we consider it our duty to provide them with available services, free of charge or at least at a minimal cost, and we recommend that people definitely use these services and be sure that their children in the Ministry of Health consider this a very important task for them."