ABSTRACT
According to the last existing documents, the prevalence rate of mental disorders is about 20% which is considered to be 14% of all country's burden of disease. In the fifth economical, social, and cultural development plan of the country in accordance with the 20 year vision, "healthy human being" and "comprehensive health" approaches and also improving of mental health indicators are emphasized. Aim of study was preparing national policy and interventions for promoting mental health. Using secondary data, analytical review of country's mental health programs, recommendations of WHO, descriptive situation of mental health and its trend during the last decade were drafted and a group of experts and stakeholders was formed following a sound stakeholder's analysis. After three Focus Group Discussions [FGDs], main points of the meetings, influencing factors of present situation, and oncoming strategies were agreed upon. Based on different studies and the experts' opinions, the prevalence of mental disorders in the last decade has increased. Coverage of mental health programs in two last decades in the best could be equal to rural population. Urban areas have been deprived of these services. Analysis of mental health system of the country shows that internal environment is weak and the external one is concede to be in threat. Eight principal challenges in country's mental health are considered. Improving current situation requires increasing internal capacity of mental health system and developing inter-sectoral cooperation. During next five years, the Ministry of Health, Iran should mainly focus on improving mental health services particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, promoting mental health literacy of different groups and minimizing mental health risk factors
ABSTRACT
Suicide is an important public health problem worldwide. A retrospective study from March 2001 to March 2007 examined some characteristics of cases of suicide and attempted suicide in the Islamic Republic of Iran based on the health system database of 41 medical universities. A total of 53 100 cases of suicide and attempted suicide were analysed. Just over half were among women [55.0%]. The most usual method of attempted suicide among both males and females was drug overdose. Self-burning was more frequent in females [5.8%] while hanging [4.5%], cutting [2.8%] and firearms [0.5%] were more common in males. There were 3883 [7.3%] completed [fatal] suicides. Hanging had the highest case fatality rate [76.5%] and drug overdose the lowest [2.3%]. Older people had a higher mortality rate. Suicide and attempted suicides increased from 8.3 per 100 000 population in 2001 to 19.4 in 2005, then declined to 16.3 in 2007
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Suicide, Attempted , Health Information Systems , Retrospective Studies , EpidemiologyABSTRACT
This study revealed mental hospitals problems based on view point of their managers and analyzed atiologyand its consequences. Delphi method, which is a mean of systematicall data collecting and refining information provided by a group of selected experts, was conducted. The majority of the problems in the mental hospitals were due to self-management procedure, lack or enough budget and irrational fees. In one hand mental patients and their families don't have sufficient income to pay the expenses of these hospitals and on the other hand facilities for improvement of patients social, occupational and rehabilitation capabilities are inadequate. Coverage of insurance for mental patients is incomplete and lack of proper socio-economic supports due to negative attitudes toward them are a many other problems. There are no administrative structures for standardization of mental hospitals and most of the mental hospitals are dilapiodated and without enough space for patients. Based on complicated problems of mental hospitals and increasing needs of mental patients to health care and treatment services, it is the time to change the structure and budgetary of psychiatric centers in Iran