Mental Health Day in Albania

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day 2011, the WHO Country Office, Albania, supported several awareness events in different regions of the country.

One of the largest events was in Tirana on 10 October under the slogan “I am like you; I am among you”. This year, the event was focused on raising awareness on mental health issues for children and adolescents. It was coordinated by the Ministry of Health of Albania, the Institute of Public Health and the Regional Health Authority. At the event, the Albanian Minister of Health Dr Petrit Vasili, stressed the importance of fighting against stigma and discrimination of people with mental illness by promoting positive mental health from the early stages of life and developing comprehensive mental health services as close to the community as possible. Children suffering from mental health problems, their families, pupils from several schools, school health professionals, mental health professionals and interested citizens participated in this event, which was followed by an exposition of art works from children suffering from mental health problems. The event was reported by many national newspapers, radios and TV stations.

In addition to that, the WHO Country Office supported several events in other regions of Albania focusing on raising awareness of mental health issues among different target groups, such as primary health professionals, students, local authorities and civil society organizations.