Based on the World Psychiatric Association survey data, in 2015, in Armenia there are around 650,000 people with mental issues, only 60.000 from them are registered and undergo a treatment. In Armenia Hospital psychiatric service implemented by 7 psychiatric organizations, but the daytime mental health care services provides only 3 centers, none of which specialize in children and adolescents mental health issues.

Since 2011 our organization supports socially and legally 60 needy families of the Yerevan suburbs Vardashen and Nubarashen. There are 17 teenagers in these families, 8 boys and 9 girls with different mental issues / 5 cases of epilepsy and the rest in various degrees of schizophrenia /. Some of these children do not attend school because of these problems, some of them are teenagers, and they practically do not have any occupation. Most parents do not have the necessary knowledge and skills to care for and support children with mental issues. These families often have complex socio-psychological atmosphere. Most of these children and adolescents have adequate abilities to get a profession and to express themselves, but parents often prefer to keep them in a house, possibly keeping the secret of their children’s’ problems from the public.

Ani Sukiasyan

ISHR Section Armenia