Turkish Psychiatric Association (TPD) organizes the 62nd National Psychiatry Congress in Ankara with the theme "Mental Health in Uncanny Times". As part of the congress, a press conference was held yesterday in order to evaluate the current problems of the country and the world in terms of mental health and to share the opinions of the association with the public. At the meeting titled "Right to Mental Health and Discrimination"; Community mental health, inequalities in access to mental health services, access to information, freedom of expression, the effects of identity-based discrimination on mental health, violence in schools, stigmatization of mental disorders and the role of the media were discussed.
Speaking about the effects of school attacks, TPD Deputy Chairman Assoc. Dr. Gülin Özdamar Ünal stated that the violence experienced at school is a mirror of the violence in society and should be an alarm for everyone and said, "School violence incidents are not limited to individual mental health; they are a reflection of the economic and social conditions in which they are shaped. Inequalities, poverty and insecurity, exclusion and environments where violence is normalized increase the risk of such events occurring."
Therefore, the solution is possible not only with approaches focusing on the individual, but also with inclusive social policies, egalitarian educational environments and strengthened public support systems. As TPD, we formed a task group to work on this issue and prepared a comprehensive report; "We declare that we are ready to cooperate with all relevant public institutions to prevent violent incidents and protect the mental health of those affected," he said.
Pointing out that guidance and psychosocial support services should be strengthened in schools, Ünal stated that mechanisms should be established to prevent violence before it occurs.
'INSUFFICIENT ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES'
Stating that while the need for mental health services in Turkey is increasing, the capacity of public mental health services is insufficient to meet this need, Ünal said, "The inadequacy in the number of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, unequal distribution throughout the country, the lack of gradual provision of health services, the limited capacity of psychiatric beds and the inadequate development of community-based mental health services make access to qualified service difficult.
Intense patient load, difficulty in finding an appointment and increasingly short examination times; It negatively affects comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, accurate diagnosis and treatment processes, regular monitoring and the establishment of a therapeutic relationship. Accessing mental health services is more than just being able to make an appointment. "It should be ensured that every individual has access to multi-disciplinary, qualified, accessible and continuous mental health services that are allocated as much time as they need."
'WE NEED TO KNOW THE TRUTH FIRST'
TPD Secretary General Dr. stated that health is not possible without free science. Lecturer Member Şahabettin Çetin said, "In order to protect and improve the mental health of the society, we must first know the truth. We cannot find out what makes people sick by simply examining individuals one by one. If we cannot investigate the factors that affect society in general, namely trauma, poverty, violence and discrimination, and cannot express what we find, we cannot understand mental health. Access to scientific information is not a privilege, but a human right guaranteed by international agreements."
'ONLY NECESSARY INFORMATION SHOULD BE INCLUDED'
TPD Media Board Chairman Burhanettin Kaya made the following statements in his speech on violence and the media: "Comments that violence is necessary, legitimate and problem-solving, especially in the news about violent incidents, will increase the impact of trauma and cause its effects to become permanent. News headlines and visuals should be created in a way that does not cause this. Statements containing some admirable qualities of the person producing the violence, remarkable features and elements that will give this individual a special status should be avoided. Only necessary information should be included in news containing violence and trauma." Details of the trauma experience and violence committed should not be included, the actions should not be described in detail and should not be glorified in any way.”
SUICIDE INTERVENTION TOOL SPECIFIC TO TURKEY
TPD Scientific Organizing Board Chairman Prof. Dr. Halise Devrimci Özgüven spoke about the work of Türkiye's Emergency Response Tool to Suicide Attempts (TİGAMA), which is specific to Turkey. Özgüven said, “We hope and expect that these studies will turn into a national suicide prevention program in Turkey.”
Providing information about the congress, Chairman of the Congress Organizing Committee, Prof. Dr. Ömer Aydemir stated that attendance at the congress exceeded 1,500. He said that 593 scientists took part as speakers in 209 sessions in the program and 315 scientific papers were presented.
