KARACHI:
If your loved one has a mental illness, take care of them, said health experts while speaking at the Karachi Arts Council on Wednesday. “Their families should take them to medical experts for advice and treatment, not a ‘Baba’.”
These health experts were part of 15 organisations that had come together to observe World Mental Health Day at the Mental Health Forum’s opening event on Wednesday.
The organisers said that their aim was to create awareness about mental health and to work as a joint force on mental health legislation in Pakistan.
More than a 100 families from different parts of the city, including Lyari and Ibrahim Haideri, participated in the event. They were briefed on how to take care of those suffering from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
According to Dr Unaiza Niaz of the World Federation of Mental Health, for the last couple of years mental illnesses have been on the rise in Pakistan. She said that Pakistan has thousands of internally displaced persons and they need to know about mental health. She added that there were other issues such as domestic torture and rape which needed to be talked about.
Dr Suleiman Shaikh, the founder of Sindh Graduate Association, emphasised on the need to change mindset regarding mental illness. He said that the family as a unit should be strengthened to promote mental health. He added that cultural taboos and traditions were a big hindrance in the treatment of mental illness.
Dr Mahmood Rahman, the psychiatrist at the Aga Khan University Hospital, said that there were many myths about Schizophrenia that needed to be dispelled in order to make any progress in the field.
Speakers said that people suffering from mental illnesses should not be ignored by their families or society. If they are cared for, said experts, they can lead a normal life.
Zafar Ali Dehraj, CEO of Basic Needs, Dr Saadia Quraishy, CEO of Mashal -Aman Foundation, Professor Dr Haroon Ahmed of the Pakistan Association of Mental Health and others also spoke at the event.
For better mental health
Mental and Social Health Advocacy and Literacy, Aman Foundation, Basic Needs, Karawan-e-Hayat, the Women Development Foundation Pakistan, AKUH, HANDS, Sindh Graduate Association, Pakistan Association of Mental Health, The Law Society Pakistan, The Recovery House, Indus Crafts, Strengthening Participatory Organisation, i-Care Foundation, Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning, HRD Network, Alleviate Addiction Suffering Trust, Creative Against Poverty, Lyari Community Development Project, Care For Health and Institute of Professional Psychology, Bahria University have been working on mental health in the province and are working together towards better legislation.
Sumera Naqvi, the communication’s manager at Karwan-e-Hayat, told The Express Tribune that a joint force had been set up with the establishment of the forum. “These organisations will also work to implement the new law,” she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2014.
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how could a family supports the patient if patient is hates and want to kill whole of his family?
"If they are cared for, said experts, they can lead a normal life."
True to some degree but that does not constitute "cure" as implied by the headline. Patient will still need continued treatment and in spite of that may still suffer relapses.
Land where attempted suicide is still a felony and patient is arrested and sent to jail instead of hospital! Family support is a double aged swored; too much involvement and intrusion may actually exacerbate symptoms as shown by studies on Expressed Emotions or commonly known as EE.