Mental health experts and representatives of different professions have called for establishing an effective national mental health crisis response system to ensure immediate support for people facing mental health emergencies. They said mental health was no longer an individual or isolated issue, but an important public health concern requiring coordinated and long-term state intervention.

They made the call at a rally and human chain organised in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Thursday, marking World Suicide Prevention Day 2026. The programme was jointly organised by mental health initiative Monokotha, Bangladesh Psychological Association (BPA), Dream Research and Development Foundation (DRDF), JCI Bangladesh and Shakti Foundation. DRDF president and Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University teacher Mir Mohammad Ali chaired the programme.

Speakers included politician Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Environmental and human rights activist Aminur Rasul, psychologist and researcher Tanzim Zaman, BPA treasurer AHM Moniruzzohah, Shakti Foundation executive director Dr Humayra Islam, Sundarbans and Coastal Protection Movement coordinator Nikhil Chandra Bhadra, JCI Bangladesh national vice-president AFM Fahimur Rahman (Oni) and psychologist Hridoy Iftekhar Ifti.

In his address, Mir Mohammad Ali said many people still felt reluctant to talk about mental health problems and often considered seeking professional help a sign of weakness. This perception needs to change. Mental distress should be treated with the same importance as physical illness, he said.

He called for expanding counselling services in educational institutions, increasing the number of trained mental health professionals and establishing mechanisms for providing rapid assistance during crises.

Bazlur Rashid Firoz said Bangladesh still lacked an effective government-run national crisis line for people requiring immediate mental health support. Although a few voluntary helplines were playing an important role with limited manpower and resources, they were not sufficient for the country’s large population, he said, urging the government to take effective measures to improve mental health services.

Dr Humayra Islam said research and years of clinical experience showed that mental health crises in Bangladesh had become a national reality rather than a private or isolated problem. Addressing this issue requires not only empathy but also an organised and long-term system, she said.

Psychologist Tanzim Zaman said a large number of people in need of mental health services remained outside the formal healthcare system. She also said adequate mental health services had not yet been developed at the primary and community levels.

She called for making emergency mental health services accessible not only in major cities and hospitals but also in remote areas across the country.