Today, the Dr. Guislain Museum and Janssen Research & Development, LLC announced that Sotheara Chhim, M.D., M.P.M., Ph.D., has been named the 2017 winner of the Dr. Guislain "Breaking the Chains of Stigma" Award. The award honors Dr. Chhim for his extraordinary efforts developing mental health services in Cambodia through scientific therapeutic approaches and launching the Operation Unchain initiative, a program designed to break the stigma of mental illness. He will be recognized for his contributions tonight during a ceremony in his honor at the Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent, Belgium.
"Dr. Chhim's work to literally break the chains of those suffering from mental health disorders in Cambodia embodies Dr. Guislain's passion to stand up for the rights of patients with mental illnesses and improve their care and ultimately their social position," said Brother René Stockman, General Director of the Dr. Guislain Museum. "It's an honor to give this type of work the recognition it deserves to continue to destigmatize the perception of mental illness in our communities globally."
Dr. Chhim is the executive director and senior consultant psychiatrist of the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Cambodia, the country's leading Non-Government Organization (NGO) in the field of mental health care and psychosocial support. Under his leadership, TPO Cambodia has developed and implemented programs to raise awareness about psychosocial and mental health conditions in many parts of Cambodia. Dr. Chhim and TPO have also provided mental health counselling, treatment, and specialized services for prisoners, gender-based violence survivors and torture survivors. To date, more than 220,000 patients and families have benefitted from his and his team's work.
"After experiencing the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime and the lack of mental health care, I was inspired to pursue my lifelong passion of helping people by becoming one of the first psychiatrists in Cambodia," said Dr. Sotheara Chhim. "I'm honored to receive the 2017 Dr. Guislain Award and look forward to expanding my work and bringing even more awareness of mental health issues in communities throughout Cambodia."
In 2015, Dr. Chhim launched Operation Unchain, an initiative to help the poverty-stricken rural communities of Cambodia where mental health treatment, awareness and resources are unavailable, which results in patients being locked up or chained. Operation Unchain provides treatment to these patients and educates their families and communities on mental health leading to a change of attitude towards the mentally ill. It also provides a chance for the patients to lead productive lives. Since its launch, this project has treated 68 patients who were chained or caged between two to 20 years, impacting 62 communities.
"We are honored to recognize Dr. Chhim's tireless efforts to provide resources to destigmatize mental illness in communities throughout Cambodia," said Husseini K. Manji, M.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head for Neuroscience, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. "With the Dr. Guislain Award, Janssen seeks to pay tribute to individuals and organizations for their exceptional contributions to help reduce mental health stigma in communities around the world."
The Dr. Guislain "Breaking the Chains of Stigma" Award is named for, and honors, the legacy of Dr. Joseph Guislain (1797-1860), the first Belgian psychiatrist to provide scientifically based treatment for patients with mental illness and a staunch patient advocate. Both the Dr. Guislain Museum and Janssen are organizations with a rich heritage and long-standing involvement in the field of mental illness research, treatment and education. For 31 years, the Dr. Guislain Museum has existed to educate the public and rectify the misunderstandings and prejudice associated with treatment for mental illness.
The Dr. Guislain Award program is a joint project of the Dr. Guislain Museum and Janssen Research & Development, LLC. Janssen provides financial and in-kind support for the program. Dr. Chhim will receive a $50,000 prize that must be used toward further work to reduce societal stigma about mental health and help those patients still chained or caged in Cambodia.
Janssen's sponsorship of this...
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