Only one psychiatrist available for every 10,000 people in Pakistan: World Mental Health Day on October 10

Like other parts of the globe, World Mental Health Day will be observed in Pakistan on October 10 (Saturday) in a bid to create awareness about psychological problems and mental health issues among the public. As early recognition of mental illnesses can help the patients to lead a normal and productive life.
To mark the World Mental Health Day, different health organisations including Pakistan Psychiatric Society (PPS), Pakistan Medical Society (PMS), Mental Health Federation of Pakistan etc, are holding separate functions in order to highlight the mental health issues. World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10 every year to make the public aware about mental health.
World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time in 1992. The theme of this year's World Mental Health Day is "Mental health in primary care: enhancing treatment and promoting mental health." Mental health disorders ranked among the top 10 illnesses in the world and over 37-percent people world-wide suffered from depression, mental health professionals told Business Recorder.
According to them, there was only one psychiatrist for every 10,000 people in Pakistan and there were only four major hospitals for psychiatric diseases in the country. Besides, another 20 units were attached to the government medical colleges. Mental health problems had increased from 6-9-percent in the population in the past decade while a large number of people needed health care, but they were reluctant to consult mental health professionals.
Pakistan Medical Society (PMS) Chairman, Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh told this scribe that mentally sick people were subjected to gross human rights abuses in most of the countries. There was only one child psychiatrist for four million children, he added. "One in every five people in the world suffered from a mental disease, which required mental healthcare," he added.
He further said, "Medically ill populations are at increased risk for behavioural health problems, just as individuals with behavioural health problems are at higher risk for medical co-morbidities. Failing to treat medical or psychiatric co-morbidities decreases an individual's chances for successful recovery and overall health."
Mental Health Federation of Pakistan president, Professor Dr IAK Tareen said immediate steps must be taken to remove the stigma attached to mental health problems and their treatment. He said medical research had discovered new drugs and therapies to treat mental disorders, but mental illness was most misunderstood amongst illnesses. He said social and economic pressures were making people mentally sick and the only way to save oneself from the illness was to lead a moderate life.
Pakistan Psychiatric Society president Professor Dr Haroon Rashid Chaudhry said that globally about eight million people commit suicide every year, adding that 86 percent of them belong to the lower class. He said that concerted efforts are needed to create awareness about the prevention and treatment of mental illnesses like depression, as they are increasing rapidly in the country due to social problems.
To a question, he said that about 10.5 million people across the world suffer from depression, adding that 100 million habitually use narcotics and other intoxicants as an 'escape' to their problems. He said that mental health disorders continue to be a serious and expensive global health issue, affecting people of all ages and from all cultures and socio-economic status. "Major depression ranks fourth in terms of disability adjusted life years and will soon be the second leading cause of disability world-wide. Out of the estimated 450 million people globally who have a mental health disorder, fewer than half receive the help they need," he said.
He said that screening for behavioural health problems in the primary care or medical problems in behavioural health settings is crucial for detection of health concerns, but is not sufficient to improve the outcomes of individuals with co-morbid conditions. The cost benefit of providing integrated care for depression, and probably other common mental health disorders, is similar to the benefit achieved in managing other chronic health conditions, he said.