KARACHI:
In Pakistan, mental health issues are severely stigmatised because of which most people do not seek therapy or medical assistance. The problem has been further intensified because of a lack of awareness as people fail to identify symptoms early on. Even those who do recognise symptoms such as an increase in anxiety, inactivity, and sleeplessness, are unable to share their mental state with family or friends. Consequently, the rate of mental illnesses has risen at an unprecedented level.
Mental health directly impacts an individual’s physical health as people lose their appetite and interest in other activities. This lowers their overall functioning and performance in their educational or professional, and personal lives. People grow frustrated and resort to extreme measures such as suicide. Some people self-medicate, which can be extremely dangerous and harm other bodily functions. Men, particularly feel more pressured to hide their mental health concerns due to stereotypical views on masculinity.
For a population of 220 million, there are only 400 trained psychiatrists with few state-run psychiatric hospitals, a small number of psychiatric units in general hospitals, and credible rehabilitation centres. Despite a consistent rise in the rate of suicide and depression, the health ministry has failed to pay heed to the matter. If a large proportion of the population suffers from poor mental health, the country will also suffer in terms of labour productivity, economic growth, and progress. The health ministry should partner with psychiatric hospitals and rehabilitation centres to tackle the issue. A widespread awareness campaign should be introduced to de-stigmatise mental health and people should be encouraged to seek therapy and psychiatric help. Also, the government must allocate sufficient funds to the health department to invest in psychiatric research, and resources to improve the quality of services provided to citizens.
Hammad Bin Abdullah
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2022.
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