JEDDAH, 11 October — Dr. Sameer Linjawee, head of the directorate of Health Affairs in the Western Province, opened the Mental Health Hospital’s second exhibition in Al-Jamjoom Center in Jeddah to mark World Mental Health Day.
The exhibition demonstrate handmade works by mental health hospital patients, as well as a documentary program on the mental heath sector in the Kingdom.
Sameera Al-Ghamdi, supervisor of the exhibition and a specialist psychologist at the mental health hospital in Jeddah, speaking to Arab News about the exhibition, said that "this is the second year we are celebrating Mental Health Day with the public. We took our new vision of mental health to the public instead of organizing it inside the health sector hospitals. I believe that this is an important step in representing the mental health issue in the public arena. We want people to be more familiar with mental sickness and theories and replace the old social misconception about the mental health problems and patients".
Al-Ghamdi praised the efforts of several Saudi artists who have helped mental heath hospital patients to produce this exhibition by providing special training workshops inside the hospital.
The mental health hospital in Jeddah had adopted several themes for this year’s celebration, which highlights on the rights of mental patients both in the context of the family and society.
Participating in the activities of the day, Dr. Muhammad Radi Al-Rashoud, director of the Hail Hospital of Mental Health, said that the aim was to increase awareness amongst people about mental disorders and illnesses, their causes and ways of preventing their occurrence. The event also aimed to highlight the services offered by the Health Ministry in this regard.
The hospital has distributed a booklet on mental health matters, which describes the various disorders. The doctors at the hospital are also currently giving lectures on the topic in schools and colleges.
The health directorate of Taif also participated in the day by giving lectures in the mental hospital and other hospitals in the region, said Dr. Khalid Al-Sumairi, director of health in Taif.
