Azerbaijan concerned over mental health of its citizens

February 23, 2011 - 18:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has developed a national strategy on mental health of the population.

The document is waiting for its approval, Azerbaijani Chief Psychiatrist and Medical University Psychiatry Department Chief Geray Geraybeyli told Trend.

Among other matters, the strategy also stipulates collection of information about suicides and other mental illnesses, as well as maintenance of their statistics.

This fact does not surprise – the reports about suicides and killings have flooded the Azerbaijani media. Suicides are basically committed by youth representatives in Azerbaijan. According to unofficial data (while Azerbaijan lacks official statistics on suicides), 29 Azerbaijani children committed suicides in 2009, while 47 juveniles (the youngest suicide was only 9) committed suicides during the first six months of 2010.

Moreover, the disequilibrium of Azerbaijanis directly affects the situation in the country’s army. Several days ago, a soldier of the Azerbaijani army shot down 7 servicemen. This is not a singular case.

Over 300 servicemen were killed in incidents in the Azerbaijani army over six years.

And Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev incites this very nation and army to a war in Karabakh… Possibly, he counts right on his nation’s disequilibrium.