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| Conclusion |
Mental health has been identified as an essential component of a person’s general health since the time of the Pharaohs, important enough to place therapy within the divine boundaries of the spiritual and religious. From the early papri, through Rhazes and Avicenna to the present day, psychiatry and mental health services have come a long way.
The development of knowledge and introduction of pharmacotherapy have not excluded other influences over people’s mental health. Traditional healers continue to play a crucial role as the first source of help for unexplained psychological symptoms that sufferers do not place within the realm of medicine.
Culture not only colors the definition of health and disease, but also determines when and where to seek help.
Public and political attitudes towards mental health and illness have undergone inestimable change, yet the priorities for community health care services in Egypt are still not mental health, but rather schistosomiasis, birth control, infectious diseases in children, smoking and illicit drug abuse.
Economic, political, social and cultural factors remain the main determinants of the state of the psychiatric profession and the access of Egypt’s citizens to care.
