Mental illness

My time spent in Bulgaria opened my eyes to the appalling attitudes and stigma attached to those suffering from mental illnesses, which for a country that is so prejudice towards the mentally ill, it may surprise you to know that it is estimated by the World Health Organisation that Bulgarian's suffering with mental illness contributes to nearly as much as 25% of the world's overall neuropsychiatric disorders.
Psychiatric stigma in Bulgaria is strong, unrealized, and has economical
impact. Mentally ill are socially discriminated. It is believed that mentally ill
themselves are guilty for their doom and they should not expect society to
share burden of disease with them.
A view shared by most including governments health department  and Doctors.
It is estimated that 17% of Bulgarians suffer from depression with higher than average suicide rates yet almost no funding is available to provide for mental health care.
In total there are 2300 beds available for psychiatric treatment in hospitals and a further 1000 in asylums for a country with a population of over 7 million.
30 years after the fall of communism the legacy lives on where the mentally ill are hidden away to protect the image of socialist paradise protrayed in official propaganda. Bulgaria being part of the EU for over 10 years has done little to change the mindset of an entire culture where mental illness is so prevalent. The amount of asylums may have decreased rapidly but have not been replaced with any proper mental health care facilities, whilst the conditions of facilities still available are dire.
Those suffering with mental illness are outcast or isolated from society so many deny or hide their illness, even preferring suicide, rather than to risk bringing shame on themselves and families. Once associated with mental illness this is a burden they may endure for life, so many suffer in silence living in fear of the rejection of the community they are part of and the authorities who will seaze any opportunity to charge them for being a threat to themselves or others in order to remove them from sight and place them in a hospital/asylum without any questions asked where they are sedated and forgotten about, without any proper diagnosis or treatment. Their human rights under EU law completely disregarded.
Instead of any chance of recovery, even those with mild treatable conditions often end up with more severe symptoms of mental illness because they are denied access to proper treatment, often isolated and confined in poor conditions, neglected and even abused.  They are sedated day after day with drugs that are not always administered correctly due to lack of monitoring and record keeping. A seemingly one size fits all approach to ensure order and ease for the limited number of (inadequately skilled and low paid) staff tasked to tend to the sick patients with little knowledge or training in mental illness.