NDERA- KIGALI, Monday, October 11, 2021: The Superior General of the Brothers of Charity, Br. Rene Stockman has commended mental health care professionals at Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital CARAES Ndera for their devotion and dedication, and encouraged them to always have high quality of listening while treating psychiatric patients; to create the atmosphere where the patients can express themselves and get better.

This is the message that Br. Rene Stockman delivered at the World Mental Health Day 2021 ceremony held at Ndera, where delegates from the Hospital's services convened to celebrate the special day, under the theme "There is hope after a diagnosis of a mental illness. Let's seek care!"

Br. Rene Stockman, who was the guest of honour at the event, urged the mental healthcare professionals to assess themselves and see if they give enough room to the patients to express themselves in the healing process,

"That is a reflection I want to give to you and also to ask you to reflect on for once; how many times, as a nurse, psychologist or medical doctor and so on; how many times do you listen actively to our psychiatric patients?" he posed.

He reminded that in many countries, psychiatric patients are still discriminated, and that it is really important that the mental health professionals play their role; "to do everything we have to do" to break the stigma, end the discrimination, and help restore the human dignity.

"As a therapist or nurse, psychologist and so on... we have to listen. That is what I can deliver as a theme for today; the importance of listening, also the importance of presence," he said, adding that during therapy, the mental health professional should put other matters aside and be there as a human being first, and listen actively to the psychiatric patient.

He added: "And I hope that every one of you takes that as a point of attention, a big question; what is the quality of my presence towards the psychiatric patient? What is the quality of my listening? Can I really create an atmosphere where a patient can express themselves? And we all know that it takes time, and it is important that we can gain the patient's trust. We can talk about care in general, but the quality begins with the relationship you have first as a human being with another human being, a relationship which becomes therapeutic."

The World Mental Health Day, which is annually observed on October 10 to reflect on the situation of the mental patients across the world, was preceded by a week of different activities aimed to raise awareness on mental health, such as IEC (Information, Education & Communication) programme for outpatients and hospitalized patients, and participation in health talk shows on radio and TV stations. The event of October 11, 2021 began with an exhibition of the hospital's activities, namely Psychiatry, Pedo- Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Social Service, Home Saint Jules, Neurology & Physiotherapy, Laboratory & imaging, Pharmacy, HIV Service and Toxicomania treatment.

The ceremony attendees represented CARAES Ndera and both of its branches; CARAES Butare and Icyizere Psychotherapeutic Center.