The latest warning by Pakistan Association for Mental Health (PAMH) that Pakistan is increasingly getting ‘depressed’ should be a matter of great concern for state and the society. In fact, data shows that more Pakistanis suffer from the average 37 per cent aggregate. The situation Karachi is even more pressing according to the PAMH.
Every fourth house suffers from mental health issue. This necessitates a national debate and public policies that should aim to fix the issue. Stress levels are accentuated by the supply of basic services such as water, gas and electricity not to mention inflation that hits the urban population directly. Insecurity, commutes and other day to day challenges are additional factors that exacerbate the situation. The PAMH has also reported that recourse to drugs, religiosity is common and many who are depressed are driven towards suicides. Violence in the society can also be understood in these terms.Another worrying finding of PAMH is that the number of women depressed is almost double than men.
Increased use of tranquilisers and their easy availability is a matter of serious concern. Media have been reporting about young people taking their lives; and this needs to be understood in a broader societal context.
The most urgent public policy question is the availability of mental health professionals who can offer quick and cheap assistance to those suffering from mental disorders. The total number of psychiatrists is abysmally low given the scale of the problem. This is the time for the government to work with the medical colleges and other institutions and ensure that there are well trained professionals available to be recruited. At the same time, the private sector and civil society also need to step in and recognize the urgency of this matter.
We are yet to make an assessment of how thousands of families that have suffered at the hands of terrorism are coping with their truncated and maimed lives. We need mass campaigns in educational spaces to apprise young men and women about handling mental disorders. In fact, the sooner we remove the stigma from treatment the better it will be for the country.
