On the World Mental Health Day on Monday with the theme to invest more in prevention and treatment of Mental Health problems, psychiatrists and psychologists in Pakistan were of the view that an average Pakistani citizen was more stressed than ever before because of the current uncertainties prevailing in the country.
They said mental health care facilities were limited to metropolises only leaving the rest of the population to suffer from disorders or to get exploited at hands of witch doctors, they said.
Experts said depression was the major mental health problem being faced in Pakistan. In Lahore, psychiatric wards in all teaching hospitals and Institute of Mental Health were available for mental healthcare but rest of the Punjab had no such facility, they added. Institute of Mental Health, set up in 1914, caters the patients with mental disorders from across the country and has 1,400 beds while more than 500 patients also report to Out Patient Department hinting towards rising rate of mental diseases, they said.
Psychologist in Institute of Mental Health Saima Majeed said there was a lack of awareness regarding mental health care and people did not trust psychological treatment and were more inclined to taking medicines.
Talking to Pakistan Today, she said women turnout to treat mental health problems was disappointingly low, even though they were more vulnerable to such problems.
According to WHO, mental health care services should be delivered through community and primary health care to make it in reach of all segments of society.
