According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 1999, the population of Egypt was roughly 60,000,000. Of the 120,000 doctors, only 500 (0.4%) of these were psychiatrists (including those in training). Less than one in ten hospital beds in Egypt are reserved for psychiatric patients with roughly one bed for every 7000 Egyptians.

The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) anti-stigma initiative undertaken in Egypt was first organized in Ismailia, located on Lake Timsah, midway between Port Said and Suez, east of Cairo. The Governate consists of five cities – Ismailia, Fayed, Al-Tal, Al-Kabeer, west Qantara and east Qantara. Roughly 700,000 people live in the urban and rural areas of the governate.

One of the first research projects undertaken by the Local Action Group was an assessment of the understanding of the word ‘fusam’. Although sometimes the word ‘schizophrenia’ is written in Arabic, Al-Fusam is the term most commonly associated with the illness described in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Metal Disorders (DSM) IV and International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 as schizophrenia, and is commonly used in textbooks and the mass media.

The first programme coordinator was Dr M. Hassib El-Defrawi working with colleagues in the Neuropsychiatry Department in Ismailia. The group coordinated efforts with the local consumer organization, the local branch of the Rotary Club, and the Association for Health and Environmental Development (AHED).

Research

Much of the early work in Egypt was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitudes of a wide range of groups.