Meaningful Social Access for Persons with Mental Health Needs Project

It is apparent that there is a growing need for mental health services in Bangladesh. With the hospital providing inpatient services and outpatient clinics but no rehabilitation focused care to support those in transition from hospital to home, a day centre for people with mental health needs and their caregivers is essential for community integration. A Mental Health Day Centre would provide the opportunity for service users to develop and regain their skills that enable them to partake meaningfully in daily life. This type of service is not readily available in Bangladesh and we believe that providing this type of service through a psychosocial rehabilitation model will be a great advantage to service users and the wider community.

Meaningful Social Access for Persons with Mental Health Needs project is a three-year  long project started from September 2021 to August 2024 implemented by CRP, funded by Kadoorie Charitable Foundation (KCF) covering five districts around Dhaka. The project is mainly working in two sectors; individual support and building community awareness. The project provides mental healthcare support to persons with mental health needs and a comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation of the clients through two Day-centers which are situated at CRP-Ganakbari and CRP-Mirpur. The day centers provide services in Multi-Disciplinary team approach. The project provides vocational training to help them to start income generating activities by themselves. Persons with mental health needs who lost their abilities of daily living due to illness are supported to start afresh. Day centre facility helps to eliminate some of the barriers and help to reduce stigma and regain skills for daily living. Day centre involve the clients in several meaningful and motivational activities around the clock. After the successful completion of their rehabilitation day centre follow them up by phone call/video call and sometimes visit their homes.

Day Centre Service:

CRP-Ganakbari Day Centre: Clients receive a service from the day centre including: professional services (psychiatric consultancy, psychotherapy and counseling, occupational therapy) according to needs, food, transport, accommodation (if live far from Centre and cannot come regularly with bus), vocational training, and Income Generating Access support.

CRP-Mirpur Day Centre: This day centre provides professional service in a daily and weekly package. This day centre facilities accommodated according to urban set-up need. Main theme is same as CRP-Ganabari day centre to engage the clients in meaningful activities in a day long routine.

Community Service:

CRP has a fame to work in community based rehabilitation service especially for the people with spinal cord injury. This project introduced a new era to provide community based rehabilitation services to persons with mental health needs. Project team is working in community to prepare them to give access the persons with mental health needs to flourish their potentiality by capacity building, community outreach program, developing befriender and M-health service.

Vocational Training and Income Generating Activities (IGA) support:

Project team is responsible for the vocational training assessment and arranges skills based training. Beneficiaries are selected according to their interest, ability and socioeconomic conditions. Vocational training is based on patients’ interests and skills. Project staff visits the community and prepare a report and draw recommendations before giving the IGA support. After giving IGA support the Community Mobilizer of project follow-up the activities of beneficiaries.

Project Objectives:

Aim: To increase social acceptance, community inclusivity and participation for persons with mental health needs by enhancing their social access and life opportunities.

 Specific objectives:

1.  500 persons with mental health needs will receive multi-disciplinary services through Day Centres (includes medication, psychotherapy and psychosocial intervention depending on individual needs).
2.  To promote community acceptance for persons with mental health needs.
3. To provide vocational training for 100 beneficiaries among them 50% will get Income Generating Activity (IGA) support.

Services:

1. Psychiatric consultancy
2. Psychosocial counseling
3. Occupational therapy
4. Community integration facilities

Day-center facilities:

• Treatment
• Vocational training
• IGA assistance
• Food for client and caregiver  
• Bus Service (as required)
• Accommodation (as required)

Referral Criteria: -

1. Adult with mental health illness (18-50 years)
2. Client is medically stable

Patients with symptoms are included in this service

• Talking alone/self-talking
• Being alone
• Talking too much for no reason
• Excessive anger
• Over excitement
• Burning sensation in head 
• Vandalizing things
• Laugh for no reason
• Washing hand frequently
• Don’t take shower often
• To doubt unnecessarily
• Listening to hidden things
• Fear of death
• Defective nature
• Doing the same thing over and over again
• Feeling disappointed
• Belittle yourself
• Suicidal thoughts
• Lack of sleep

Day-Center Work List
 
Daily work or daily activities
Self-care and cleanliness, preparation of tea/breakfast, sleep and rest time, making a coordinated daily routine/to-do list.
 

Income generating activities

Household activities like washing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, household work, taking up previous/new job with or without pay, gardening, sewing and cloth making, wooden furniture making etc.

Leisure work

Storytelling, singing and playing musical instruments(guitar, keyboard, tabla, harmonium), various sports (keram, chess, ludu), showing movies, celebrating events, painting etc.

Vocational training

Already there is training on skill enhancement at CRP Ganakbari. Beneficiaries will be assisted in business planning during the training.

Example of daily routine at a glance…

(From Saturday to Wednesday)

Client is medically stable