Days after the commemoration of the “World Mental Health Day”, which falls on 10 October each year, and coinciding with the announcement by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Morocco to organize the “Second National Campaign to Combat Stigmatization of People suffering from mental and mental disorders “, from 17 to 27 October 2022, with the slogan” Mental disorders are a medical condition .. Dignity and rights belong to you and me “. On Monday evening in Rabat an awareness and communication meeting was held on the theme “Mental and mental health at the time of social communication”.
The symposium, which brought together researchers and doctors in psychology, as well as well-known social media activists, and was organized by the World Health Organization in Morocco, in collaboration with the “Shifa platform”, sheds light on mental disorders in the moment of social communication, especially between children and adolescents.
Mariam Beghdali, representative of the World Health Organization in Morocco, warned in her speech of behavioral disorders deriving from addiction to social media; She stressed that the young man “should take back his life, after it was snatched from him by social media and became a prisoner”.
In his speech on “The Screen Effect,” Picdaley said; He stressed the association with the image and its strong momentum, especially during quarantine periods, which caused “addictive behavior” among the majority of social network users.
The representative of “WHO” in the Kingdom deplored “the same effect that is creeping towards the elderly” and said that it was the “infodémie pandemic” that hit the world in parallel with the epidemic.
Begdaly also stressed that “the use of social media and the monitoring of addiction to them remain subject to a joint responsibility towards social media consumers”. This in light of the absence of figures who quantitatively and qualitatively control the phenomenon in Moroccan social environments.
In response to a question for Hespress, during the activities of the same activity, the spokesperson confirmed the existence of cooperation with other international organizations dealing with mental and psychological health, stating: “We have a global program aimed at adolescents in particular. regarding their dependence on communication sites, ”before noting that it aims to“ educate to the media. ”Modern social communication through the training of teachers and parents.
The speaker himself concluded that it is “a coordinated system with intertwined responsibilities in order to invoke the right to good psychological and mental health”. as an influencer in virtual communication spaces.
In turn, Dr. Salma Azzawi, specialist in medicine and psychiatry in Rabat, expressed her “thanks to the organizers of this meeting and the opportunity to discuss a topic that is not talked about much”; She stressed that “the first culprits of the lack of awareness are the psychiatrists themselves and those with specializations and fields”.
In his speech, Azzawi cited data indicating the lack of attention to mental and mental health in Morocco, due to the lack of medical facilities and specialized hospitals at the regional level, and added: “The number of doctors must be doubled 3 times. to reach the global average. “
The same doctor delved into the deteriorating factors of mental and psychological health, emphasizing that social media are part of the causes and not a direct cause, and in depth attributing the issue to individuals affected by factors “a genetic genetic environment that is a breeding fertile ground for the spread of mental illness; Which means biological fragility, “he described.
Azzawi also stressed that the environmental factor remains crucial in a direct relationship with mental and psychological disorders; She stressed that “watching a video, for example, can change a person’s life and cause trouble, provided he is capable.”
“There are cases every week that I receive in my clinic related to psychological disorders related to the use of social media”, records the same psychiatrist, noting that the main reason is due to the desire of people to “seek appreciation in social media, to compensate the lack of appreciation and self-confidence “.
Azzawi concluded that “the impact of social media on mental and psychological health is continuously increasing, after it has been exacerbated by the Corona pandemic,” noting that “most of the ailments that have been recorded have resulted in an increase rates of depression and anxiety ”, explaining the issue with the isolation experienced by members of society, and“ Its impact on a person’s self-esteem and the nature of his communication with others ”.
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection defines mental illness as “a disease like any other disease, recognized as such by the World Health Organization, and arises from a combination of genetic, biological and environmental factors and personal life experiences”, considering mental disorders “a public health problem”.
It is interesting to note that, according to data from the same ministry, 48.9 per cent of Moroccans aged 15 and over suffer from one or more mental disorders; 26.5% suffer from anxiety disorders and 6.5% suffer from mental disorders.
