BEIRUT: The international NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres held a screening of a documentary by filmmaker Carol Mansour Wednesday to highlight the dire state of mental health in Lebanon – as well as their work in the country – on the occasion of World Mental Health Day.

Mansour’s film, “Where Do I Begin,” which was created in partnership with MSF, features a collection of interviews with patients, social volunteers and health professionals.

The film illustrates the effects of depression and other forms of mental illness on the lives of those suffering, as well as their families. It shows how those affected cope, such as by self-medication, and sheds light on the obstacles that prevent them from seeking and receiving adequate treatment.

The documentary follows many families including Mona Bakr, a woman in her 60s who looks after her brother alone and must balance her work and the demanding treatment for his mental and physical disabilities.

“People [in the country] are ashamed to talk about it and they chose to cope by themselves,” said Mansour.

Reducing this reluctance to speak about the problem is the first step to ensuring that they receive proper treatment, said Mansour.

“The needed help is sometimes quite light. It is a matter of psychology, but most people are ashamed to talk about it. I wanted to de-stigmatize this subject … Today, MSF volunteers literally have to go into households and inform the population that help is available,” she said.

MSF launched a mental health program for residents of Bourj al-Barajneh refugee camp in December 2008. Volunteers come to talk to people and introduce them to the two UNRWA psychiatric clinics in Bourj al-Barajneh, which welcome Lebanese as well as Palestinians.

Fabio Forgione, MSF’s head of mission in Lebanon, expressed his satisfaction with the program, describing its results as “quite outstanding.”

“For the past year and a half, people are more and more coming by themselves. We are on a good path toward acceptance [of mental health care],” he said at the screening.

In January, MSF opened a similar center in Ain al-Hilweh, the largest refugee camp in Lebanon, and there are plans for the organization to establish a permanent presence in the country.

Forgione said that MSF focuses on the mental health of adults because other organizations and institutions don’t offer free treatment for psychological problems.

Lebanese adults have experienced events associated with war, such as losing a relative or being threatened by a weapon, and can benefit from the services of psychological professionals, he adds.

As it stands, Forgione said there aren’t enough psychiatrists in Lebanon, and there is also the question of whether the services that do exist are within reach.

“As medical care is mostly private, even if we had enough psychiatrists most people could not afford it,” Forgione said.

Besides the mental health program, MSF is also involved in advocacy.