Urgent Need For Mental Health Awareness In Sri Lanka

The recent events currently circulating on all media channels have created an uproar and unrest amongst citizens. There are three incidents reported within the past week that grabbed public attention; A body of a dead woman found in a suitcase in Dam Street, Colombo on March 1, a nine-year-old girl beaten to death by her mother and another woman during an alleged ‘exorcism’ believed to drive away the “evil spirits that possessed her” in Delgoda and a 24-year-old mother beating her infant with a cane in Jaffna.

- Daneka Wanduragala

At present Sri Lanka as a society is going through great mental pressure. This could be due to a compilation of factors considering the challenges people experience as a third world country and the effects the current pandemic has on the economy. The occurrence of these events indicates that the psychosocial support in Sri Lanka is not of standard. Mental health in Sri Lanka is not prioritized even at times like this where it is most necessary. “The infant’s mother claimed that she was ill-treated by her husband and that resulted in her return to Sri Lanka and the child was beaten by her following a heated argument with her husband who is still in Kuwait”. The mother assaulting her infant out of desperation is an example of people resorting to disturbing behaviour due to financial and another day to day pressures. The Sub-Inspector of Police suspected to be the killer of the woman whose headless body was found stuffed in a travelling bag, committing suicide is another example of how strained people are due to what has been occurring.