Dr. Khaled Badawi, a member of the House of Representatives for the Coordination of Youth Parties and Politicians, said that one of the most important goals of mental health is building an integrated personality and preparing people psychologically and mentally in any sector of society, adding: “Whatever his social role is, so that he accepts social responsibility and is given to society as much as He takes one or more of his energies and capabilities to the fullest extent possible.
Khaled Badawy added in an article published on the Coordination Articles of Youth Parties and Politicians website entitled: “Mental Health in Egypt,” that in order for this to be achieved, the demands of the individual’s social growth must be fulfilled, such as compatible social growth to the maximum extent possible, satisfying psychological and social needs, accepting reality and forming trends. sound social values, responsible creative social participation, expanding the circle of interests, developing social skills that achieve normal social harmony and achieving sound religious and moral growth.
He continued, “In 2017, the Ministry of Health and Population, represented by the General Secretariat for Mental Health, announced the results of the National Mental Health Survey, and the prevalence of mental disorders in Egypt, in cooperation with the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, and with funding from the World Health Organization, where the National Mental Health Survey revealed Regarding measuring the prevalence of psychological disorders among Egyptians, 25% of Egyptians suffer from psychological problems, only 0.4% of them receive treatment, 43.7% of those suffer from depression, and that the elderly are more vulnerable to psychological relapses, and that the percentage of patients with substance use disorders has reached 30.1%, and the survey revealed that the prevalence of mental disorders is more in rural areas than in urban areas, and the prevalence of mental disorders is higher in Minya Governorate, which is one of the largest governorates of Upper Egypt..
Khaled Badawy noted that mental health is concerned with the study and treatment of social problems related to the formation and growth of the human personality and the factors determining them, such as problems of mental weakness, academic delay, success and sexual deviations, as well as family problems and problems of raising children, and this is one of the most important things possible for society, continuing: Therefore, mental health helps in controlling, directing, and evaluating human behavior with the aim of achieving the best possible level of psychological compatibility as a good person in society. One of the psychological and societal problems is a society threatened by conflicts and disintegration among its members..
He pointed to the spread of many negative societal phenomena such as crimes of domestic violence, bullying, harassment and indecent assault, explaining that by referring to these crimes and the Public Prosecution’s investigations with their perpetrators, we find that mental illness is the common factor among all of them, which clearly showed the need to intervene, join hands and come up with community initiatives for health. Psychology in Egypt, continuing: “Caring for the mental health of the Egyptians is the cornerstone for eliminating many negative societal phenomena that are significantly exacerbated and the violent crimes that have spread recently and claimed hundreds of citizens, and the Egyptian citizen is the cornerstone of sustainable development plans and economic development.” Which we all strive for, and it is the cornerstone of any development efforts in all sectors. The ancient Egyptian man was characterized by construction, building civilizations and landmarks that have remained firmly established until now, despite the succession of ages and the passage of thousands of years. Therefore, the President of the Republic was keen, since the beginning of his tenure, to pay attention to the development and health of the Egyptian citizen, so many were launched Among the initiatives, perhaps the most prominent of which is the National Initiative to Eliminate Hepatitis C and detect non-communicable diseases, 100 million health.”
Representative Khaled Badawy pointed out that the Egyptian society needs careful planning for mental health, and planning for the mental health of citizens needs important measures represented in the following::-
1- Creating a safe and friendly social environment in which sound social relations prevail, free from all societal problems and manifestations of violence between citizens.
2- Paying attention to the study of man and society, caring for children that make the future, caring for youth the backbone of society, caring for adults, protecting the family, the first cell of society, and providing the psychological support necessary to solve their problems..
3- Issuing legislation related to medical and psychological examination before marriage, providing support, guidance and psychological counseling to spouses, and legislation to protect the family, children, youth, people with special needs and the elderly from negative intellectual and social influences that affect their mental health.
4- Raising the level of psychological awareness among those whose work is related to the public, especially in public bodies and institutions.
5- Attention to psychological guidance and counseling in all government institutions.
6- Attention to the concept of mental illness prevention.
