Platform of Mental Health Joint Announcement
February 23rd 2007


To the attention of public opinion;

In the main agenda of Platform of Metal Health which continues its activities since September 2006 with the contribution of  23 medical and mental health career organizations, association for the ill and people close to them, and civil social organizations, the problems in the treatment institutions of mental health in our country and the fact that appropriate standards is not reached in the treatment of mental disorders.

The conditions of the mental health treatment institutions is a subject that should of interest to all the groups in the society.  Some of the patients treated in these institutions are inpatients for a short period.  This obligatory implementation can keep the closed treatment environment away from the inspection of those outside.  The fact that the inpatients treated for mental disorders are subject to violence is an issue that can not be  accepted under no circumstance.  The treatment of drug addicts on the other hand require special environment, precautions and specially trained personnel.   The most important issue emphasized by the Platform of Metal Health since the day of it's establishment  is  the lack of a Mental Health Law in Turkey, regulating the infrastructure of the implementations, related to these obligatory treatment environment.

We would also like to point out that, the TV programme with the objective of displaying the violation of private rights of the patients, during the take of the program  the right of the patient to keep her identity confidential was violated.   In this  programme both the patients were revealed and  even tough a violation that continued was known,  the condition was not referred to the related authorities by legal ways,  material was collected for the TV programme.  Additionally,  we believe that waiting a long time like two months should also be ethically evaluated.

On the other hand, as we have gathered in the news, as the result of the legal investigation started, there is a possibility that the programme reflects the truth by intervention.  If this is true,   we see that the abuse in the field of mental health has reached a dimension where it exceeds all social limits.

The share allocated to mental health, is not in a level necessary for the  required services.  Therefore the inadequacies of supporting personnel both in education and in numbers,  affects both the mental health employees (psychiatry experts and assistant, psychologist, nurse, social worker, supporting personnel) and the patients, those close to them and all the public opinion in a negative way.
We request;

• Mental health law to be issued as soon as possible
• The implementation of reforms in the mental ,health services without losing precious time
• The attachment of importance to the education of personnel working in mental health area.
• The media organizations to be more sensitive about the rights of the patients during their broadcasts.

We invite the public to support the efforts in mental health reform.

Mental Health Platform Executive Committee

MENTAL HEALTH PLATFORM TURKEY Establishment: 2006

Civil Society Organizations that are Members of the Platform:

Turkish Psychiatry Association, Turkish Neuropsychiatry Association,  Turkish Nerve and Sprit Health Association, Child and Youth Spiritual Health Association,  Medical Practitioners' Association,  Turkish Medical Doctors Association, Istanbul Chamber of Medical Doctors, Ankara Chamber of Medical  Doctors, Konya - Karaman Chamber of Medical  Doctors, Sexual Training Treatment Research Association, Turkish Psychologists Association,  Psychiatry Nurses Association,  Public Health Experts Association, Federation of Schizophrenia Association,  Schizophrenia Friends  Association, Istanbul World Schizophrenia Association, İst. Schizophrenia Voluntarity Solidarity Association, İzmir Schizophrenia Solidarity Association, Ankara Şizofreni Patients and Relatives  Association, World Schizophrenia Association, Manisa Schizophrenia Association, Konya Schizophrenia Volunteers Association, Konya  Center of Research and Development of Social Health

Correspondence Address:
Op. Raif Bey Sok. Moralı Ap. 31/2
Şişli - İstanbul

Telephone: 212 219 97 77
Fax 212 343 00 95

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