Seminar: Keeping stress under control

Set goals for yourself, take interest in work and keep unachievable things off your to-do list if you want to enable yourself to deal with stress.

This was the crux of a seminar on Monday arranged in connection with World Mental Health Day.

In his address to employees of Oil and Gas Development Corporation Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Rizwan said that as a result of a multitude of social and economic factors, a number of people suffer from depression, anxiety and other issues that require a psychiatrist’s attention, but they avoid seeking treatment because of the stigma and stereotypes surrounding mental health issues in Pakistani society.

“Patients avoid treatment because our society does not recognise these problems. As a result, they are forced to lead a miserable life,” he said, adding that these diseases are still considered an outcome of black magic due to ignorance.

The event was organised by OGDCL.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2013.