NCPHA started the implementation of project “Improvedmental health services”under Programme BG07 "Public Health Initiatives" implemented by the Ministry of Health as a Programme Operator with the financial support of the European Economic Area and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms 2009-2014.
The aim of the project, with which is committed the NCPHA, is the improvement of mental health care. The total project duration is 18 months. The grant is 1 000 000 EUR.
Why isthe project necessary?
Health reform inBulgaria aims to improve the health status of Bulgarian citizens through development of modern institutions to provide high quality medical services and financing for all. An important part is the reform of mental health care, carried out in accordance with the National Mental Health Policy. Reform of mental health is connected with primary healthcare. Key professional group for suicide prevention is the group of general practitioners (GPs) due to close relations with the population. In the programs for specialization in general medicine the mental health problems are not sufficiently represented. Therefore the main objective of the project is the acquisition of experience in recognizing the early signs of depression and anxiety. Thus, will be achieved a reduction in suicide attempts and better quality of mental health services.
The most effective measuresfor the prevention of suicide go far beyond the field of medicine. The focus of the project and different professions (social workers and psychologists) dealing with groups at risk of suicidal behavior: young people, the elderly, unemployed, poor people, substance abusers... Therefore, prevention of suicidal acts as a social phenomenon requires theinvolvement ofdifferent stakeholders. The project envisages training of specialists from the Regional Health Inspections (RHI), 28 in number, throughout the country for collecting and entering online information for suicides. It will be emphasized the training of staff involved in school education on issues related to mental health. Two representatives of each RHI will be selected and trained in the basic principles for the prevention of suicide in schools. The final beneficiaries are young people in vulnerable teenage mostly in troubled schools, which will be identified for intervention.
The aimof the project is to improve the exchange of information between different institutions.
Thisproject involves conducting epidemiological study of the prevalence of common mental disorders in the country. The scientific evidence provided by the study will serve as a basis for better policy and planning of mental health services, tailored to the needsof theBulgarianpopulation.. The study will provide a clearer picture of the dynamics of the spread of surveyed mental disorders. The new data will be compared with the results of the first study EPIBUL in 2003-2007.
Increased public awareness of mental health problems would contribute to reducing stigma and neglect in relation to persons with mental disorders, particularly those who have attempted suicide. Aspecialized website will be designed and a public campaign to combat stigma will be conducted.