Press House organizes a workshop on the topic of  "behavioral matters and positive mental health during Coronavirus Pandemic"

Gaza - Press House

On Thursday, September 24, 2020, Press House – Palestine (BAS) organized a workshop on the topic of "‎behavioral matters and positive mental health during Coronavirus Pandemic‏"‏, via ZOOM application, as part of Strengthening Free & Independent Media in ‎Palestine ‎Project activities, ‎, in collaboration with MA'AN Development Center and the Society of Women ‎Graduates in the Gaza Strip, as part of the activities of the Youth Partnership ‎Forum project.‎

The facilitator of the workshop was Mr. Saeed Al Kahlout, Director of the Training Department of the General Department of Mental Health ‎at Ministry of Health in Gaza, in the presence of 49 participants of a group of students and graduates ‎of the faculties of journalism and media in the Gaza Strip.

Ms. Raghda Al-Najar, project coordinator at Press House, opened the workshop, stressing the importance of the workshop and necessary to refer to mental health issues in light of the spread of Corona pandemic around the world, especially under quarantine as a result of the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the ‎Gaza Strip.‎

"Mental health doesn’t mean free from disorders and mental illnesses," Mr. Al Khlout said, stressing the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO) of mental health: "It's not just the absence of mental disorders, it's a state of wellness in which everyone can realize his/her own capacity, adapt to normal stress situations, work productively and usefully and contribute to their community."

Mr. Al Khlout explained that the definition of mental health involves a state of integration between different personal levels (physical, psychological, social aspect), stressing that psychological stress, an emotional state affecting physical and psychological aspects, works on a state of motivation that may be difficult to get rid of.

Mr. Al Khlout noted that there is a negative and positive adjustment, since the current situation in Gaza Strip due to quarantine and closure procedures imposes psychological pressures on people, which may lead them to form an abnormal situation in dealing with others.

Mr. Al-Kahlout concluded the workshop by answering the questions asked by participants, about the nature of adapting during quarantine and making as much use as possible positively.