Parents responsible for mental health problems of children - Healthcare Minister

Nadira Gunatilleke

A lot of schoolchildren suffer from mental health problems because of the excessive stress put on them by their parents. Therefore, they tend to eat Kaneru and drink poison even for a very minor problem.

Parents are responsible for this situation because they pressurise their children forcing them to get the top results, Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said.

Minister De Silva was addressing the World Mental Health Day celebration held at the National Art Gallery, Colombo 7 yesterday. He said that parents give tuition for their children from a very young age and force them to get through the Year Five Scholarship examination and thereafter they run for Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations like taking part in a horse race.

Minister De Silva pointed out that steps should be taken to take out mental patients from the places where they live like prisoners allowing them to move freely with the society. People should be encouraged to treat them similar to the other patients suffering from heart aliments and diabetics. Social stigma should be eradicated.

He pointed out that almost all who live at homes, work in offices and involved in trade union activities suffer from some sort of mental health problem and therefore only the patients who receive treatment at the Angoda and Mulleriyawa hospital cannot be named as mental patients.

Even some persons who are not on any treatment suffer from minor mental health problems. Considering this new development the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has to find out a new methodology to treat mental patients by visiting them instead of forcing them to visit hospitals.

In 1992 former Deputy Secretary of the World Federation for Mental Health, Richard Hunter declared the World Mental Health Day.