In the past fve years, Pakistan has seen a dramatic spike in suicides, particularlyin remote regions. While quantitative dataon the issue remains scarce due to thecriminalisation of suicide attempts in Pakistan, estimates from the World HealthOrganization (WHO) suggest that thesuicide rate in the country is slightly below the global average of nine deaths per100,000 people. Reports from local authorities and police records paint a concerning picture; the issue is widespreadand rather severe than what offcial statistics suggest.
Tharparkar, the southeastern provinceof Sindh comprises alarmingly high suicide rates. Despite having a low population compared to other districts withinthe province, according to a study bythe Sindh Mental Health Authority, Tharparkar has emerged as the district withthe highest number of reported cases ofsuicide over a fve-year period. While thereport counts 79 cases in Tharparkar in2020, local police records indicate wellover a hundred in the same year, highlighting the limitations of offcial statisticsin capturing the full extent of the crisis.
The spike in suicides in far fung areas likeTharparkar raises important questionsabout the role of poverty, unemployment,and lack of access to basic education andhealth facilities in exacerbating mentalhealth issues. Pakistan is home to over220 million people, ranking ffth in the listof countries by population, as well as ffthin the list of countries with a young population. Around 63 per cent of the population comprises of the youth in the agebracket 15-33 years, according to the UNPopulation Fund Report. However, despite the large youth demographic in thecountry, mental health issues and copingprocesses remain unacknowledged andunaddressed.
Pakistan has one of the highest rates of mental ill health in the world, with an estimated 50 million people suffering from mental disabilities, including depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, manic depressive psychosis, and schizophrenia. Despite this, the country has a staggeringly low number of psychiatrists and psychologists, with fewer than 500 psychiatrists in the country for the population size, according to a paper published in Lancet Psychiatry in 2020. The World Health Organization estimates that there are only 0.19 psychiatrists in Pakistan per 100,000 inhabitants, making it one of the lowest numbers in the WHO EMRO region and the entire world. This lack of trained mental health professionals has created a major treatment gap, leaving more than 90 per cent of the people deprived of mental health addressal. The situation is particularly concerningfor young people, who are at a greaterrisk of deteriorating mental health due tochronic adversity such as socio-economicinequalities, violence, and lack of accessto education and healthcare.
Depression and anxiety are some of theleading causes of morbidity in childrenand adolescents worldwide. In Pakistan,young people are exposed to a range ofstressors, including pressures to conformto social norms, and the burden of expectations placed on them by society as wellas at home. With the high rate of youthunemployment in the country, many areleft feeling disenfranchised and hopeless,which can lead to clinical depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts.
In Pakistan, young people are
exposed to a range of stressors,
including pressures to conform
to social norms, and the burden of expectations placed on
them by the society.
The interconnection between poverty, unemployment, and lack of access to basiceducation and health facilities is a criticalissue that must be addressed in order toreduce the burden of mental ill health inPakistan. While there is no one solutionto the complexity mental ill health carries,there are several steps that can be takento mitigate it.
Efforts should be made to increase awareness and de-stigmatisation of mentalhealth concerns – adults and adolescentsalike – through adequate knowledge dissemination. The necessity for improvedhealthcare facilities and well-informedpolicies and laws cannot be emphasisedenough. One must strive to give mentalhealth the attention it requires and deserves.
The writer is a research fellow at Sindh Commission on the Status of Women(SCSW) and a youth activist.
Mental Health in Times of Recession
In the past fve years, Pakistan has seen a dramatic spike in suicides, particularlyin remote regions. While quantitative dataon the issue remains scarce due to thecriminalisation of suicide attempts in Pakistan, estimates from the World HealthOrganization (WHO) suggest that thesuicide rate in the country is slightly below the global average of nine deaths per100,000 people. Reports from local authorities and police records paint a concerning picture; the issue is widespreadand rather severe than what offcial statistics suggest.
Tharparkar, the southeastern provinceof Sindh comprises alarmingly high suicide rates. Despite having a low population compared to other districts withinthe province, according to a study bythe Sindh Mental Health Authority, Tharparkar has emerged as the district withthe highest number of reported cases ofsuicide over a fve-year period. While thereport counts 79 cases in Tharparkar in2020, local police records indicate wellover a hundred in the same year, highlighting the limitations of offcial statisticsin capturing the full extent of the crisis.
The spike in suicides in far fung areas likeTharparkar raises important questionsabout the role of poverty, unemployment,and lack of access to basic education andhealth facilities in exacerbating mentalhealth issues. Pakistan is home to over220 million people, ranking ffth in the listof countries by population, as well as ffthin the list of countries with a young population. Around 63 per cent of the population comprises of the youth in the agebracket 15-33 years, according to the UNPopulation Fund Report. However, despite the large youth demographic in thecountry, mental health issues and copingprocesses remain unacknowledged andunaddressed.
Pakistan has one of the highest rates of mental ill health in the world, with an estimated 50 million people suffering from mental disabilities, including depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, manic depressive psychosis, and schizophrenia. Despite this, the country has a staggeringly low number of psychiatrists and psychologists, with fewer than 500 psychiatrists in the country for the population size, according to a paper published in Lancet Psychiatry in 2020. The World Health Organization estimates that there are only 0.19 psychiatrists in Pakistan per 100,000 inhabitants, making it one of the lowest numbers in the WHO EMRO region and the entire world. This lack of trained mental health professionals has created a major treatment gap, leaving more than 90 per cent of the people deprived of mental health addressal. The situation is particularly concerningfor young people, who are at a greaterrisk of deteriorating mental health due tochronic adversity such as socio-economicinequalities, violence, and lack of accessto education and healthcare.
Depression and anxiety are some of theleading causes of morbidity in childrenand adolescents worldwide. In Pakistan,young people are exposed to a range ofstressors, including pressures to conformto social norms, and the burden of expectations placed on them by society as wellas at home. With the high rate of youthunemployment in the country, many areleft feeling disenfranchised and hopeless,which can lead to clinical depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts.
In Pakistan, young people are exposed to a range of stressors, including pressures to conform to social norms, and the burden of expectations placed on them by the society.
The interconnection between poverty, unemployment, and lack of access to basiceducation and health facilities is a criticalissue that must be addressed in order toreduce the burden of mental ill health inPakistan. While there is no one solutionto the complexity mental ill health carries,there are several steps that can be takento mitigate it.
Efforts should be made to increase awareness and de-stigmatisation of mentalhealth concerns – adults and adolescentsalike – through adequate knowledge dissemination. The necessity for improvedhealthcare facilities and well-informedpolicies and laws cannot be emphasisedenough. One must strive to give mentalhealth the attention it requires and deserves.
The writer is a research fellow at Sindh Commission on the Status of Women(SCSW) and a youth activist.
Trending Posts