One in four Lankans suffer from mental illness

Cases of depression on the rise:

Ramani PREMATILLEKA BOGODA

There has been a high incidence of depression among both young and old mental patients according to a survey by the Health Ministry Mental Health Services Division, Director Hiranthi de Silva.

Addressing a seminar at the Kadirgamar Memorial Institute, Colombo to mark Mental Health Day which falls tomorrow, she said most mental illnesses were due to social and economic problems.

She said a countrywide programme to eradicate mental illness has been launched by the department to counter this tendency.

De Silva said according to the survey one in four among the country's population suffered from some sort of mental illness.

Nearly 300,000 mental patients even contemplated committing suicide. She said special attention should be paid to persons suffering from mental illnesses due to the war which caused loss of family members.

Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Terrence de Silva said more than 10 per cent of the population fall prey to mental illnesses annually.