Centers to assist mentally disabled

Two new centers are attempting to fill the gap in Turkey when it comes to helping schizophrenic and people with mental handicaps, aiming to assist in every aspect of their lives, regardless of how diverse their needs.The Solidarity Center in Mental and Psychological Health, or ARA, centers were opened by the Human Rights in Mental Health Initiative, or RUSİHAK, six months ago in two locations in Turkey: one in ıstanbul and one in the Aegean province of Manisa.The ARA project, supported by European Union fund for one year, is planned to operate as a consultation and guidance center. The current system in Turkey is not enough for those faced with mental impairments, according to experts. Psychological consultant Fatma Zengin Dağıdır, also an ARA project coordinator, said more than 70 percent of patients return to the hospital for mental diseases. "The main reason for that is those people cannot get help outside those hospitals after getting treatment," said Dağıdır, adding that loneliness causes many people to return. "What we try to do is to provide help to schizophrenics and mentally ill people in a warm atmosphere for any kind of problem they face in social life," she said. Related state institutions mostly pay attention to the health and education problems of people with mental or psychological handicaps. But those individuals encounter many other problems, such as legal problems, housing problems, unemployment, and education and care of patients’ children.Patients working as expertsThe ARA project does not put restrictions on which problems they will provide assistance for. One reason is that the center itself was founded by schizophrenics and people with mental disabilities or their relatives, who managed to tackle their diseases and other problems. Dağıdır, also a relative of a patient, said they have "experts" who have mental disabilities or schizophrenia and learned much from their own experiences, as well as experts like psychologists and expert doctors."This is why they will be coming to a warmer place," said Dağıdır. "We all know how they feel and what kind of difficulties they are exposed to." A 32-year-old man with mental disabilities who works as an experienced expert at ARA said he has faced so many problems so far that he is tired of trying to claim his government-funded benefits. The man, who declined to give his name, said he received treatment for eight years in Germany, but could not get education after primary school in Turkey because of the lack of opportunity for people like him with mental handicaps. ARA plans to close this gap by operating between the institutions and patients, working as guides to understanding their language. The center’s helpline is 212 249 06 98.