20% Of Children Worldwide Suffer Mental Disability

Bandar Seri Begawan – Twenty per cent of the children and adolescents throughout the world experience various kinds of mental illnesses which cause inability.

Pehin Dato Haji Awang Abu Bakar, Minister of Health, raised this issue at the launching of the World Health Mental Day 2003 yesterday morning.

He said that the World Health Organization's research cited that three to four per cent of these cases need immediate treatment. But public awareness on this fact is still at low stage.

The minister added the World Health Mental Day this year stressed on the important role of parents, teachers and staff relating to the mental healthiness of children and adolescents.

He said these people can help not only in identifying children and adolescents with problems but also in helping prevent and treat any mental illness or such that they're facing.

“Mental health is an important issue for the community and is seriously taken into account by the Ministry of Health because it is one of the important components in achieving a healthy and harmonious life,” he said.

According to the minister, mental health is one of the fields which has been identified in the national health promotion programme.

The health promotion is among the main strategic goals in the nation's health care programme for the Year 2000 to 2010 with the aims of accelerating efforts and commitment of the government towards promoting a healthy lifestyle among the rakyat and residents in this country.

Yesterday’s ceremony was highlighted by a talk entitled 'Upgrading Emotional Calmness Among Children And Adolescents' presented by Professor Madya and Doctor Abang Bennet Taha, Senior Specialist Psychiatric Consultant for Children And Adolescent, the Medicine Faculty and Health Science of Sarawak University, Unimas.

This year's theme was chosen to focus world attention on the negative effects of emotional disturbance and attitude towards children and adolescents globally.

The main objective of the World Mental Health Day 2003 is to enhance public awareness so that problems relating to mental illnesses on children and adolescents could be traced from the early stage and be given treatment as urgently as possible. -- Courtesy of Radio Television Brunei 

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