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Consumer Action Network Mental Health Lanka

Consumer Action Network Mental Health Lanka (CAN MH Lanka) is a consumer-led non-profit organization, registered under the companies act no 07 of 2007, working for a right-protected, nurturing community for the people with psycho-social disabilities in Sri Lanka.

Our Objectives

Empowement

People with mental health problems continue to be at risk of social exclusion and discrimination in all facets of life. We empower them by developing their capacity to choose, influence, and control to exercise over events in their lives and try our best to remove formal or informal barriers, including power relations between individuals, communities, services and governments.

Our Objectives

Advocacy

Reducing stigma and discrimination against people with mental health problems and promoting human rights needs much courage and support. We conduct various actions to change the significant structural and attitudinal barriers to achieving positive mental health outcomes in our populations. We hope, together, we can change how the world views mental health.

Our Objectives

CAPACITY BUILDING

Mental Health is everyone's business. But most of us don't know what mental health is. We work closely with health and non-health stakeholders for sustainable academic relationships to educate our communities on mental health policy and practice. We encourage and support mental health research, community engagement and experience sharing among mental health academics.

Our Objectives

MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION

There is no health without mental health. It is necessary to improve the overall mental health and wellbeing of every individual. We work on strengthening the policy environment and strategic communication for network building, stakeholder engagement, enhanced mental health literacy, and behaviour change for mental health promotion in the settings where people live, work, learn and thrive.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

THE BUTTERFLY PROJECT

The butterfly is a symbolic expression of mind. A butterfly represents the beauty and uniqueness of each of our minds, but just like the butterfly, no two minds are identical, and all are unique. We encourage every Sri Lankan to display and wear a butterfly proudly to help raise awareness about mental health issues.

SPEAK YOUR MIND CAMPAIGN

Speak Your Mind is a global citizen-led campaign platform with one collective purpose - progress for mental health in every nation.
People from 19 countries worldwide, including Sri Lanka, have come together pledging to secure meaningful and urgent action from their governments, demanding they invest in mental health.

Technical Working Group for Disability Inclusive Elections

The Technical Working Group for Disability Inclusive Elections in Sri Lanka (DIESL-TWG) is a collective of cross-disability movements to ensure political participation of persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND NETWORKING

Many people aren’t exposed to mental health issues until they are directly impacted by a tragedy such as suicide. But Mental health problems require multiple local stakeholders to work in concert. Collective community engagement can overcome the barriers to mental health promotion and prevention.

SAUMH Webinar: Suicide Prevention in the South Asian region

South Asian Union for Mental Health (SAUMH) was established in 2020, following the global annual planning meeting of the Speak Your Mind campaign and the Global Mental Health Action Network (GMHAN) in Nairobi, Kenya.

The SAUMH consists of six organizations: 1) CAN MH Lanka – Sri Lanka, 2) Sangath – India, 3) Mariwala Health Initiative (MHI) – India, 4) Taskeen – Pakistan 5) Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) – Nepal and 6) Mental Health PH – the Philippines.

The SAUMH was established aiming for regional collaboration for mental health campaigning and advocacy. The annual session for this year is scheduled for the 29th of September 2021 from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm IST.

There will be two rounds;

1) Research and efforts undertaken for suicide prevention – 10-minute presentation from each representative and

2) panel discussion on the same topic – 30 minutes,

followed by a Q & A session for another half an hour.

for Mental Health Practitioners

Knowledge Sharing Session Series

Together with the Professional Psychological Counselors' Association (PPCA), CAN MH Lanka organises a series of knowledge-sharing sessions every 2nd and 4th Thursday from 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm. This session series aims to empower mental health practitioners from different disciplines by providing a friendly platform to share good practices. We expect the people in need to have a better chance of having quality mental healthcare when they needed it most.

Let us

MOVE TOGETHER

The COVID 19 pandemic has affected lives, families, and communities globally, and the mental health impact of the pandemic is expected to be huge. The economic downturn, social distancing measures, unemployment and uncertainty increase the mental health burden at the individual and community level.

The secretary-general of the United Nations mentioned the need for urgent action to address the mental health needs in the post-COVID-19 period to reduce the long-term effects of the pandemic.

In the Sri Lankan context, there are limited studies done to see the mental health effects of COVID-19, but it is expected to increase mental health problems, substance abuse, and suicides following the pandemic. Therefore, it is essential to take collective action to address the mental health needs in the post-COVID-19 atmosphere around the country.

We invite policymakers, state officials, professionals, the corporate sector, educators, law enforcement authorities, community organizations and the general public to join hands to ensure everyone everywhere has someone to turn to when their mental health is in crisis.

MENTAL HEALTH IS...

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Mental health is essential at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

WHAT IF....?

If you experience mental health problems throughout your life, your thinking, mood, and behaviour could be affected.
Mental health problems are common, but help is available. People with mental health problems can get better, and many recover completely.

IF YOU NEED HELP...

If you or your loved ones are in a mental health crisis, please dial 1926 for emergency mental health assistance throughout the day and night. 1926 chat service is available during working hours.
If you feel like being seen by a doctor, contact the mental health service of your nearest hospital. 1990 ambulance service provide support for emergency hospitalisation of persons with mental health problems in a crisis.
Keep the contact details of your nearest mental health professional, psychiatrist, psychologist, counsellor, or social worker in case of an emergency.

GET IN TOUCH

WANT TO JOIN OUR VOLUNTEER TEAM?

We invite university undergraduates and freshly qualified mental health professionals interested in contributing a social change to ensure everyone everywhere has someone to turn to their mental health in crisis to join our volunteer network.
The volunteer positions are unpaid and for a minimum period of 12 months from the date of appointment. Volunteers are provided with training and development opportunities and offered a certificate upon completion of the internship.
The undergraduates who should complete an internship as a part of their study are also welcome. Priority is given to Psychology, Social Sciences, Occupational Therapy and Counseling undergraduates.

APPLICATION FORM

Join hands in our journey toward a right-protected, nurturing community for the people with mental health needs in Sri Lanka

Address 32/2, Raymond Road, Nugegoda, 10250, Sri Lanka

Phone number +94714713426 / +94718034685

Email contact@canmhlanka.org.lk

WhatsApp +94769647778

Facebook @canmhlanka

YouTube CAN MH Lanka

Instagram @canmhlanka

Twitter @CANMHLanka