An Extensive Meeting on Mental Health in Dhamar Governorate Thamar University Media / Amin Al-Nehmi and Saqr Abu Hassan / October 8, 2023 ■ The Rahma Center for Mental Health and the Center for Counseling and Psychological Care at Thamar University, in cooperation with the Office of Public Health and Population in the Governorate organized today an extensive meeting for official, civil, academic and medical figures working in the field of mental health in Dhamar Governorate The meeting, under the slogan "Together to Contribute to the Recovery of Patients, Community Prevention and Improvement of Mental Health Services in the Governorate", was attended by representatives of a number of competent authorities in mental health.  At the meeting, the Vice-Rector of Thamar University for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, the Director of the Center for Counseling and Psychological Care, Prof. Dr. Abdulkarim Zabibah refers to the importance of such activities and events devoted to discussing tools to spread community awareness of the need for psychotherapy, and psychological counseling. He stressed that the Psychological Counseling Center represents one of the community institutions that are greatly interested in improving psychological reality, establishing a community culture of the importance of psychotherapy, and reaching the community to mental health. The Vice-Rector of Thamar University pointed out that Mental Health is not the responsibility of a particular entity, nor a dedicated facility, rather it is the responsibility of everyone and an integrated system that official and civil authorities must play their role and assume their responsibility. He noted during his speech that mental illness can be cured if there is family and community attention, and said that unfortunately, mental illness turns for some into a stigma, and this is not true and even creates a barrier between psychotherapy and patients. For his part, the Deputy Director of the Counseling and Psychological Care Center, Head of the Psychology Department at the Faculty of Arts at Thamar University, Dr. Abdo Farhan Al-Hemyari, stressed the importance of diagnosing the phenomenon and determining the tasks and roles among the concerned authorities. He pointed out that mental health is not the responsibility of a particular entity, but is an integrated system that official and civil authorities must play their role and assume their responsibility. Al-Hemyari pointed out the importance of standing up to the problem honestly and mobilizing efforts towards this phenomenon, which is witnessing an expansion and an increase, because ignoring, neglecting and forgetting this phenomenon leads to the complexity of the problem, the breadth of the phenomenon, and the difficulty of avoiding its effects. For his part, the Undersecretary of the Governorate, Mr. Mohammed Abdulrazzaq, stressed the keenness of the Local Authority to enhance the performance of the health sector in general and mental health in particular. He pointed out the importance of the community's concerted efforts to contribute to the care of this category in light of the increasing number of patients with mental disorders due to the continued aggression and siege. Mr. Abdulrazzaq stressed the importance of touching the aspirations of this segment and providing their needs of treatment and psychological support and supporting the efforts of centers and hospitals concerned with providing mental health services. For his part, the Director of Primary Health Care at the Health Office in Dhamar, Mr. Abdulrab Al-Maqdashi pointed out the importance of establishing activities between medical facilities in the field of mental health to achieve integration and bring the service closer to those in need. The Director of the Al-Rahma Center for Mental Health of the Hands of Mercy Foundation, Mr. Mohammed Abdulkareem, stressed the importance of exploiting the leisure time of young people to open vocational training centers for low-income people and activate sustainable development programs. The meeting recommended the need to mobilize efforts, draw attention to the phenomenon of the expansion and increasing numbers of people with mental disorders and improve the provision of mental health services in the Governorate through the rehabilitation of Medical Staff from the province in mental health with the support of trainees, coordination and integration between health facilities of various specialties. The meeting urged to direct researchers, graduates of Universities and Colleges related to mental health to conduct research and surveys on the growing phenomenon of mental disorders, their causes, and types to prepare a database, future projects to improve mental health services, and allocate awareness programs and education about mental health concepts through the media, speeches, extension awareness, and raising awareness of school students, colleges and institutes, as well as women at home, councils, and forums. The meeting stressed the need to establish free psychiatric camps and mobile clinics that contribute to providing mental health care services to poor families who are unable to cover the expenses and costs of psychological treatment.