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    Baidoa, 27 July 2017 - The UN held a capacity-building workshop for thirty mental health professionals from institutions in Baidoa, the capital of Somalia’s South West state. The training was held between 24 and 26 July 2017 and provided basic preparation for handling psychiatric disorders. Participants included staff from Baidoa central prison, the city’s psychiatric hospital, and the Baidoa Disarmament, Demobilisation and Rehabilitation centre. Issak Mohamud Mursal, the acting Director General of the Ministry of Health in South West state, noted that the training would boost efforts to treat the increasing number of mental illness cases in Somalia. “We have concern that mentally ill people have been increasing in the last 10 years or 20 years, and the problem we have is that we haven’t got any training similar to this,” Mr. Mursal said. The state of mental health in Somalia has been on the back burner of health priorities for decades, although available statistics show that the incidence of mental illness in the country is one of the highest in the world. “I think one reason for that is due to the war, that a lot of people have encountered for instance attacks and sudden deaths,” said Amelie Runesson, a Corrections Advisor with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). “So this training aims to shed light first of all for the stigma surrounding mental health and then provide participants with the basics in common psychiatric disorders, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and also to give them the basics in psychological assessment, specifically suicide screening,” she added. Participants discussed ways to end the stigma surrounding mental illness and review treatment techniques for common psychiatric disorders. “In Somalia individuals with mental health problems are commonly called ‘crazy,’” noted Ms. Runesson. “One of the key messages delivered was the importance of rather understanding it as an illness which can be treated. Changing the vocabulary is a first step to challenge the stigmatization.” Figures at the Baidoa psychiatric hospital indicate an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with mental illnesses. Prisoners and detainees are more prone to mental illness, according to the World Health Organisation. Most patients present symptoms of conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and epilepsy, according to the hospital’s director. “We are very pleased with this workshop because there has been no training on mental health conducted since the centre (Baidoa Psychiatric Hospital) was opened five years ago. It is a historic day and we are very happy,” said Dr. Adan Mohamed Abdirahman, the Director of the Baidoa Psychiatric Hospital. “There is a saying in Somalia which holds that ‘knowledge precedes action.’ Before a person treats patients, they first of all have to learn. So, the training is useful and the professionals will learn to care for mentally ill patients.” The first of its kind in the region, the three-day training was jointly organized by the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group (ROLSIG) of UNSOM and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). END

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    Baidoa, 27 July 2017 - The UN held a capacity-building workshop for thirty mental health professionals from institutions in Baidoa, the capital of Somalia’s South West state. The training was held between 24 and 26 July 2017 and provided basic preparation for handling psychiatric disorders. Participants included staff from Baidoa central prison, the city’s psychiatric hospital, and the Baidoa Disarmament, Demobilisation and Rehabilitation centre. Issak Mohamud Mursal, the acting Director General of the Ministry of Health in South West state, noted that the training would boost efforts to treat the increasing number of mental illness cases in Somalia. “We have concern that mentally ill people have been increasing in the last 10 years or 20 years, and the problem we have is that we haven’t got any training similar to this,” Mr. Mursal said. The state of mental health in Somalia has been on the back burner of health priorities for decades, although available statistics show that the incidence of mental illness in the country is one of the highest in the world. “I think one reason for that is due to the war, that a lot of people have encountered for instance attacks and sudden deaths,” said Amelie Runesson, a Corrections Advisor with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). “So this training aims to shed light first of all for the stigma surrounding mental health and then provide participants with the basics in common psychiatric disorders, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and also to give them the basics in psychological assessment, specifically suicide screening,” she added. Participants discussed ways to end the stigma surrounding mental illness and review treatment techniques for common psychiatric disorders. “In Somalia individuals with mental health problems are commonly called ‘crazy,’” noted Ms. Runesson. “One of the key messages delivered was the importance of rather understanding it as an illness which can be treated. Changing the vocabulary is a first step to challenge the stigmatization.” Figures at the Baidoa psychiatric hospital indicate an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with mental illnesses. Prisoners and detainees are more prone to mental illness, according to the World Health Organisation. Most patients present symptoms of conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and epilepsy, according to the hospital’s director. “We are very pleased with this workshop because there has been no training on mental health conducted since the centre (Baidoa Psychiatric Hospital) was opened five years ago. It is a historic day and we are very happy,” said Dr. Adan Mohamed Abdirahman, the Director of the Baidoa Psychiatric Hospital. “There is a saying in Somalia which holds that ‘knowledge precedes action.’ Before a person treats patients, they first of all have to learn. So, the training is useful and the professionals will learn to care for mentally ill patients.” The first of its kind in the region, the three-day training was jointly organized by the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group (ROLSIG) of UNSOM and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). END

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    UN Trains Mental Health Practitioners in Somalia's South West State

    Uploaded by

    UNSOM (The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia)
    Baidoa, 27 July 2017 - The UN held a capacity-building workshop for thirty mental health professionals from institutions in Baidoa, the capital of Somalia’s South West state. The training was held between 24 and 26 July 2017 and provided basic preparation for handling psychiatric disorders. Participants included staff from Baidoa central prison, the city’s psychiatric hospital, and the Baidoa Disarmament, Demobilisation and Rehabilitation centre. Issak Mohamud Mursal, the acting Director General of the Ministry of Health in South West state, noted that the training would boost efforts to treat the increasing number of mental illness cases in Somalia. “We have concern that mentally ill people have been increasing in the last 10 years or 20 years, and the problem we have is that we haven’t got any training similar to this,” Mr. Mursal said. The state of mental health in Somalia has been on the back burner of health priorities for decades, although available statistics show that the incidence of mental illness in the country is one of the highest in the world. “I think one reason for that is due to the war, that a lot of people have encountered for instance attacks and sudden deaths,” said Amelie Runesson, a Corrections Advisor with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). “So this training aims to shed light first of all for the stigma surrounding mental health and then provide participants with the basics in common psychiatric disorders, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and also to give them the basics in psychological assessment, specifically suicide screening,” she added. Participants discussed ways to end the stigma surrounding mental illness and review treatment techniques for common psychiatric disorders. “In Somalia individuals with mental health problems are commonly called ‘crazy,’” noted Ms. Runesson. “One of the key messages delivered was the importance of rather understanding it as an illness which can be treated. Changing the vocabulary is a first step to challenge the stigmatization.” Figures at the Baidoa psychiatric hospital indicate an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with mental illnesses. Prisoners and detainees are more prone to mental illness, according to the World Health Organisation. Most patients present symptoms of conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and epilepsy, according to the hospital’s director. “We are very pleased with this workshop because there has been no training on mental health conducted since the centre (Baidoa Psychiatric Hospital) was opened five years ago. It is a historic day and we are very happy,” said Dr. Adan Mohamed Abdirahman, the Director of the Baidoa Psychiatric Hospital. “There is a saying in Somalia which holds that ‘knowledge precedes action.’ Before a person treats patients, they first of all have to learn. So, the training is useful and the professionals will learn to care for mentally ill patients.” The first of its kind in the region, the three-day training was jointly organized by the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group (ROLSIG) of UNSOM and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). END

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    STORY: UN trains mental health practitioners in

    Somalias South West state


    TRT: 04:10
    SOURCE: UNSOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
    RESTRICTIONS: This media asset is free for
    editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It
    is not to be sold on and is restricted for other
    purposes. All enquiries to
    thenewsroom@auunist.org
    CREDIT REQUIRED: UNSOM PUBLIC
    INFORMATION
    LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/SOMALI/NATURAL SOUND
    DATELINE: 24&26/JULY/2017, BAIDOA, SOMALIA

    SHOT LIST:

    1. Wide shot of participants in the training.


    2. Wide shot of some of the participants in the training.
    3. Wide shot of participants in the training.
    4. Medium shot of some of the participants in the training.
    5. Wide shot of some of the participants in the training.
    6. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): AMELIE RUNESSON - CORRECTIONS
    ADVISOR WITH THE UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN
    SOMALIA (UNSOM)
    We know that the rate of mental health illness is one of the
    highest in the world in Somalia actually. I think one main reason
    for that is due to the war, that a lot of people have encountered for
    instance attacks and the sudden death of close ones. So this
    training aims to shed the light first of all for the stigma
    surrounding mental health, and then provide the participants with
    the basics in common psychiatric disorders such as Post
    Traumatic Stress Disorder, and also to give them the basics in
    psychological assessment and specifically suicide screening.

    7. Wide shot of the participants in the training.


    8. Wide shot of some of the participants in the training.
    9. Wide shot of Amelie Runesson, Corrections Advisor with the United
    Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) speaking to
    participants during the training.
    10. Medium shot of female participants during the training
    11. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): ISSAK MOHAMUD MURSAL - ACTING
    DIRECTOR GENERAL OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH IN SOUTH WEST
    STATE
    We have the concern that mental illness people have been
    increasing for the last 10 years or 20 years, and the problem we
    have is that we havent got any training like this. The training we
    are having today is we want to open the basic training on mental
    health issues, and we invited people from the central jail of
    Baidoa, people from the DDR, people from the mental hospital,
    which is the district hospital that has also already admitted
    around 165 patients.

    12. Wide shot of participants in the training.


    13. Medium shot of Issak Mohamud Mursal, the Acting Director General of
    Ministry of Health in the South West State speaking to participants
    during the training.
    14. Wide shot of other participants in the training.
    15. Medium shot of participants in the training.
    16. SOUNDBITE (SOMALI): DR. ADAN MOHAMED ABDIRAHMAN, THE
    DIRECTOR OF THE BAIDOA PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
    We are very pleased with this workshop because there has been
    no training on mental health conducted since the centre (Baidoa
    Psychiatric Hospital) was opened five years ago. It is a historic
    day and we are very happy. There is a saying in Somalia which
    holds that knowledge precedes action. Before a person treats
    patients, they first of all have to learn. So, the training is useful
    and the professionals will learn to care for mentally ill patients.

    17. Wide shot of participants in the training.


    18. Medium shot of female participants in the training
    19. Wide shot of participants in the training.
    20. Medium shot of a female participant in the training.
    21. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): AMELIE RUNESSON - CORRECTIONS
    ADVISOR WITH THE UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN
    SOMALIA (UNSOM)
    I think it was very clear that they talked about, instead of talking
    about someone as crazy, the importance of using the word
    mental health. And also how to advocate for this group, both
    here in Baidoa and also on a more regional level.

    STORY:
    UN trains mental health practitioners in Somalias South West state
    Baidoa, 27 July 2017 - The UN held a capacity-building workshop for thirty
    mental health professionals from institutions in Baidoa, the capital of
    Somalias South West state.
    The training was held between 24 and 26 July 2017 and provided basic
    preparation for handling psychiatric disorders. Participants included staff from
    Baidoa central prison, the citys psychiatric hospital, and the Baidoa
    Disarmament, Demobilisation and Rehabilitation centre.
    Issak Mohamud Mursal, the acting Director General of the Ministry of Health
    in South West state, noted that the training would boost efforts to treat the
    increasing number of mental illness cases in Somalia.
    We have concern that mentally ill people have been increasing in the last 10
    years or 20 years, and the problem we have is that we havent got any
    training similar to this, Mr. Mursal said.
    The state of mental health in Somalia has been on the back burner of health
    priorities for decades, although available statistics show that the incidence of
    mental illness in the country is one of the highest in the world.
    I think one reason for that is due to the war, that a lot of people have
    encountered for instance attacks and sudden deaths, said Amelie Runesson,
    a Corrections Advisor with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia
    (UNSOM).
    So this training aims to shed light first of all for the stigma surrounding mental
    health and then provide participants with the basics in common psychiatric
    disorders, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and also to give them the
    basics in psychological assessment, specifically suicide screening, she
    added.
    Participants discussed ways to end the stigma surrounding mental illness and
    review treatment techniques for common psychiatric disorders.
    In Somalia individuals with mental health problems are commonly called
    crazy, noted Ms. Runesson. One of the key messages delivered was the
    importance of rather understanding it as an illness which can be treated.
    Changing the vocabulary is a first step to challenge the stigmatization.
    Figures at the Baidoa psychiatric hospital indicate an increase in the number
    of patients diagnosed with mental illnesses. Prisoners and detainees are more
    prone to mental illness, according to the World Health Organisation. Most
    patients present symptoms of conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety,
    depression and epilepsy, according to the hospitals director.
    We are very pleased with this workshop because there has been no training
    on mental health conducted since the centre (Baidoa Psychiatric Hospital)
    was opened five years ago. It is a historic day and we are very happy, said
    Dr. Adan Mohamed Abdirahman, the Director of the Baidoa Psychiatric
    Hospital. There is a saying in Somalia which holds that knowledge precedes
    action. Before a person treats patients, they first of all have to learn. So, the
    training is useful and the professionals will learn to care for mentally ill
    patients.
    The first of its kind in the region, the three-day training was jointly organized
    by the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group (ROLSIG) of UNSOM and
    the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
    END

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