When I met her, I noticed a chain had been attached to her ankle.
Her mother is hoping for a full recovery soon so Elodie can lead a normal life once again and so she can earn some money and contribute to the three-woman household.”
Sustainable development hinges on ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing at all ages
Accessing care
UN News/Daniel DickinsonMental health problems are curable from a medical point of view, but increasing ignorance and poverty force people to resort to drastic measures such as tying up patients, which exacerbates the mental illnesses they suffer from.WHO’s Henrielle Emasignavy at the Androy Regional Referral Hospital.WHO would like there to be more services available for people like Elodie, and while it is clear that a visiting psychiatrist can only do so much, I’m happy that we are able to help some patients on the road to recovery.There has been an increase in young people suffering from mental health episodes. We think that amongst young men it may be linked to cannabis use, and amongst young women between the ages of 13 and 18, it could be the breakup of a relationship or depression following the birth of a child.
- Promote mental health and wellbeing and strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse
- Reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from pollution, contamination and tobacco
- Achieve universal health coverage, and provide access to affordable, essential vaccines and medicines
- Reduce global maternal mortality rate to less than 70 per 100,000 live births and under-five mortality to at least 25 per 1,000 live births
- End epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and combat hepatitis and other communicable diseases
We have recently experienced drought and cyclones in different regions of the south which have compounded the effects of climate change as well as deep-rooted underdevelopment. This has left the many vulnerable people who live across the south struggling to survive. When crops fail, they have no safety net and often go hungry. Access to health and other social protection services can also be problematic.
