Dignity in mental health

Every year World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10. The theme for this year's day was "Dignity in mental health". This year, WHO (World Health Organisation) rose awareness of what can be done to ensure that people with mental health problems can continue to live with dignity, through human rights-oriented policy and law, training of health professionals, respect for informed consent to treatment, inclusion in decision­making processes, and public information campaigns.
The verbal meaning of the term 'dignity' is the fact of giving honour and respect by people and "it can simply be defined as the inherent and inalienable worth of all human beings irrespective of social status such as race, gender, physical or mental state." (Michelle Funk) So, protection and respect of human rights are the necessary prerequisites for ensuring that people are not stripped of their dignity. Many countries have specific legislation concerning people with mental or psychological disabilities. Yet, many people with mental or psychological disabilities are deprived of their human rights. They are not only discriminated against but also subject to emotional, physical and sexual abuse in mental health facilities as well as in the community.
We all have mental health. "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Mental health, like other aspects of health, can be affected by a range of socioeconomic factors that need to be addressed through comprehensive strategies and programmes.
Mental health legislation is an important means of addressing this situation and ensuring that the dignity of people with mental and psychosocial disability is preserved. Such legislation must be in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) that recognises that "discrimination against any person on the basis of disability is a violation of the inherent dignity and worth of the human person". Again, mental health legislation must promote voluntary admission and treatment and require that the services users' free and informed consent be obtained prior to the administration of any type of treatment and care. And strong safeguards must be put in place against coercive interventions, and effective remedies and redress must be accessible when abuses do occur.
In all countries mental health problems are much more prevalent among the people who are most deprived. There are many factors that can play significant roles in enhancing and creating mental disorders. The factors are poverty, chronic health conditions, infants and children exposed to maltreatment and neglect, minority groups, indigenous people, people experiencing discrimination and human rights violations, lesbian, transgender persons, prisoners, and people exposed to conflict, natural disasters, environment pollution, sound pollution or other humanitarian emergencies.   
Consequences: People with mental health disorders face stigmatising and discriminatory treatment. Mental disorders often are affected by other diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and HIV infection/AIDS. They may also be subject to unhygienic and inhuman living conditions, physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and harmful and degrading treatment practices in health facilities. Many are denied economic, social and cultural rights, rights to work and education. These kinds of social exclusions are common in the fate of the persons with mental health disorders.
So, provisions should be made for people with psychological disabilities in employment, education, social welfare and other laws, in order to ensure that they are entitled to enjoy the same rights, supports and opportunities in life, on an equal basis with others.
The World Bank and WHO indicated in  2001 that 12% of  the global burden of disease should be attributed to mental problems. This percentage is expected to increase significantly in the next decade. Disability related to mental disorders has negative effects on productivity and financial consequences for the individual and their family.
Bangladesh: According to 'Mental health Atlas country profile 2014' by WHO in Bangladesh, Disability-adjusted life years (per 100,000 population) is 2,238. And suicide (age-standardised rate per 100,000 population) is 7.8. In our country mental health workforce is very poor.
ICDDR,B reports that the overall prevalence of mental disorders in Bangladesh is between 6.5 to 31% among adults, with psychiatric and psychogenic disorders such as depression, anxiety and neurosis most commonly reported. The prevalence of mental disorders was much higher in overcrowded urban communities than rural ones, and among the poor. Women were vulnerable across all settings, consistent with findings from other South Asian countries like India and Pakistan. According to the report, mental disorders in Bangladesh are a serious but overlooked problem. Better data, awareness and more mental health practitioners are needed to address the unmet needs for mental health care.
Dignity in mental health is not restored and a serious breach of human rights prevalent here. Because of stigmatisation and discrimination, persons with mental disorders often have their human rights violated. These are due to lack of knowledge, superstitious beliefs and social stigma that prevents individuals with mental health conditions from seeking care. In Asian countries they are treated as mad and a mad is neglected everywhere. Between 76% and 85% of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment for their disorder in low-income and middle-income countries.
Some mental disorders: Depression is a common mental disorder and a global public health concern. It is characterised by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self­worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration.
 Depression is a major cause of committing suicide. Suicide is leading cause of death for people seriously affected by mental illness. Up to one in ten people affected by mental illness kill themselves.  
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder often characterised by abnormal social behaviour and failure to recognise what is real. In 2013 there were 23.6 million cases globally.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder where people feel the need to check things repeatedly, have certain thoughts repeatedly, or feel they need to perform certain routines repeatedly. Common activities include hand washing, counting of things, and checking to see if a door is locked. It is not so common mental disorder. Alcohol dependence is a previous psychiatric diagnosis in which an individual is physically or psychologically dependent upon drinking alcohol. In the western countries alcohol dependent persons show 7% to 12% of the total population. In Bangladesh this problem is increasing.
There are hundreds of mental illnesses. To redress this, a comprehensive programme should be adopted. Social awareness is to be increased. Mental health education should be included in the Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Curriculums. Introducing this type of education will be helpful in making sympathy and driving away the social stigma towards the persons with mental disorders. Civil society movements for mental health should be developed in low-income and middle-income countries. Government should take all-out initiatives to redress the problems and ensure dignity in mental health.