Mental Health
Though the majority of Senegal’s healthcare budget goes to physical health needs, mental health remains an area of concern. The Senegalese government spends 9% of its total health budget on mental health. Currently, Senegal has no national health program, but mental health issues are prevalent. Nearly 17% of children had emotional/behavioral or neuropsychiatric disorders based on 2005 data. Additionally, 16% of adults had psychiatric illness. Primary sources of mental health financing include, in descending order, private insurance, social insurance, out of pocket expenditures by patient or family, and taxes. Mental health is part of primary health care system, with the treatment of severe mental disorders available at the primary level. NGOs are involved with advocacy, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Still, more attention and concern remains to be paid to mental health in Senegal.
Read more about this topic: Health In Senegal
Famous quotes related to mental health:
“A major misunderstanding of child rearing has been the idea that meeting a child’s needs is an end in itself, for the purpose of the child’s mental health. Mothers have not understood that this is but one step in social development, the goal of which is to help a child begin to consider others. As a result, they often have not considered their children but have instead allowed their children’s reality to take precedence, out of a fear of damaging them emotionally.”
—Elaine Heffner (20th century)