Taking care of mental health --

Mental health has an important role to play in one's life. Generally, if you have good mental health, you will be able to carry out your daily activities smoothly, face various challenges, make quick and accurate decisions on various issues and play a greater role in the development of society and the country.

We, however, are not as conscious about mental health as we are about physical health. Sometimes, mental health condition becomes worse but we do not seem to pay much attention to it. A recent study found that 6.5 to 31.0 per cent of adults and 3.4 to 22.9 per cent of children in Bangladesh have mental health problems. But 92 per cent of them do not take any kind of service or advice from physicians. The effects of mental health can disrupt our daily activities and can even lead one to commit suicide.

The mental problems that are commonly seen in the context of our country include frustration, exhaustion, anxiety, bizarre thoughts, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), etc. These problems can ruin one's life completely. But few of us pay much attention to these issues. In general, the number of psychiatrists in Bangladesh is 500, that is, only one psychiatrist for 216,000 people. This is absolutely inadequate. We need more psychologists and counsellors. Some other things we can do for our mental health are eating nutritious food, staying active, getting enough sleep, taking regular exercise, spending time with loved ones, being grateful, etc.

Shahriar Hasan Rakib,

Student of Department of Psychology,

Jagannath University, Dhaka,

shahriarrakib4066@gmail.com