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Welcome to Koshish Nepal
- the voice of people experienced
with mental distress.
Mental health is, according to the World Health Organization, a state of well being where the individual can take an active part in society and cope with the “normal stresses of life”(WHO, 2010). But sometimes a person’s mental health can be challenged beyond means. The result is what we can call mental illness or distress. In these situations the mentally distressed person will often need support to “get on their feet”, and be able to enjoy life and relationships with friends, family and community. Despite the importance of mental health, this aspect of people’s health is a neglected aspect of the Nepali Health Care System.
Mentally distressed persons in Nepal often find themselves in a highly vulnerable position. The lack of appropriate support for this group is a tragedy both for the mentally distressed themselves, and their families. There is a need to find ways to meet these persons respectfully within the national health care system and our local communities.
Koshish is a locally initiated mental health self-help organization dedicated to break the silence around mental health issues in Nepal. As members of Koshish we are proud to take part in the first Nepali organization to do so.
Koshish is the Nepalese word for “try”. We are trying to improve the mental health situation in our country, and are convinced that this is both necessary and possible to achieve
In our home page you can read more about the mental health situation in Nepal, and how we are working to improve it.
References:
WHO (2010) “What is mental health”. Online at: http://www.who.int/features/qa/62/en/index.html
(retrieved January 2010)
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