Dhaka, Oct. 9 -- Bangladesh has just 465 psychiatrists to serve an estimated 40 million people suffering from mental health problems, speakers said at a roundtable in Dhaka city on Thursday.

The discussion, held a day before World Mental Health Day 2025, urged immediate action to expand access to mental health care across the country.

The event, titled "Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies," was organised by the Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh (ADAB).

UTSA executive director Mostafa Kamal Jatra, also a teacher at the University of Chittagong, presented the keynote paper.

In his address, he said that Bangladesh's frequent natural disasters have made mental health issues more widespread and long-lasting.

"Eac...