TEHRAN (MNA) -- A faculty member of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences here on Monday spoke of a dramatic increase in the number of children diagnosed with mental disorders in Iran.

The rate has risen over the past decades around the globe, and the Islamic Republic is no exception, Abbas Davarmanesh said, blaming improved sanitation during and after the childbirth on increase in incidences of mental health problems among children.
Improved hygiene standard of care provided for mothers and newborns during and after the childbirth have led to lower infant death rates over the past decades, Davarmanesh told the Mehr News Agency, adding that child survives mental problems, and his/her disorder will be diagnosed in adolescence.
On the rate of sufferers of mental disorders around the globe, Davarmanesh said that people with mental disorders account for an estimated 3 percent of the U.S. and 2 percent of Japanese and 2 percent of the European total population.
According to the latest figures by the State Welfare Organization, more than 1.5 million of Iranians suffer from mental disorders, Davarmanesh added.
SN/HB/SJ MNA END