People’s indifference towards mental health is not new in Bangladesh. There are even various ignorance, misconceptions and wrong beliefs about mental illness. Some even compare mental problems to being crazy, weird or having a distorted mentality.

It is generally seen that mental health carries a kind of ‘stigma’ even within the person who is going through it.

A 2018 study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that 18 percent of people in Bangladesh are suffering from some kind of mental illness.

Of these, only one percent are suffering from complex mental illnesses, say doctors and psychologists.

Doctors and psychologists say that awareness about mental health is gradually increasing in Bangladesh, and more people are seeking help from specialists with their problems than before.

Although most people do not go to a psychiatrist due to the misconception that mental problems will be fixed by themselves.

And most people seek advice from a psychiatrist when physical symptoms of that problem appear.

But what exactly are the problems that people seek help from psychiatrists in Bangladesh for?

BBC Bangla spoke to psychiatrist Mohit Kamal, Dr. Mekhla Sarkar of the National Institute of Mental Health, and Dr. Md. Faruk Hossain of Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar – this report has been prepared based on their opinions.