As of January, more than 87,000 people suffer from mental illnesses in Kyrgyzstan. Soros Foundation-Kyrgyzstan reported with reference to the Republican Center for Psychiatric Health.
According to it, more than 12,000 people have schizophrenia, almost the same number suffer from bipolar disorder. The risk of suicide among the people with these diseases is significantly higher than that of the rest of the population. This is due to the desire to get rid of sufferings.
"There is a pejorative attitude towards mentally ill people in Kyrgyzstan," the foundation noted.
According to world statistics, 75 percent of mental disorders in the adult population and 95 percent in children and adolescents are treated on an outpatient basis, the patients are not hospitalized.
"Mental diseases are the main cause of disability of citizens. The remoteness and closeness of the psychiatric service leads to a decrease in the quality and accessibility of assistance, paving the way for abuses in the respect for human rights. There is a fear of mental disorders, myths about the "incurability" and exceptional danger of all the people with mental illness are spread," it said.
