Pakistan's Troubled Minds
By Farzam Talees2 min read
In Pakistan, getting help for the mind is hard. For some people, it costs too much. For others, it brings shame. The federal health minister says about 24 million people need care from a mental health specialist. Yet the country has less than one specialist for every 500,000 people. These numbers are painful to read.
There is some good news. Last month, the government launched a National Mental Health Policy. It promises to bring care to local clinics and communities, so that people do not have to travel far or wait long. The plan gives the whole country one common path, but each province, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir can shape it to fit their own needs. It aims to make mental health part of everyday health care, to spot problems early, and to help people recover. This is a good start. But a plan on paper heals no one. It must now be carried out with care, money and patience.
The cost of waiting is high. When people go without help, they lose years of healthy life, and the country loses their strength and skills. In hard times, more young people feel anxious and low. More turn to drugs. More lose their lives to suicide. Climate shocks and too much time online make it even harder to stay strong. And shame makes everything worse, because people hide their pain until it grows too heavy.
To make the plan work, Pakistan must first change old ways of thinking. Sadness and fear are not signs of weakness. Big hospitals need counsellors, not just a few clinics in a few cities. Family doctors need training so they can notice the signs early and send patients to a specialist in time. Care must be affordable, so it is not only for the rich. But cheap care must also be safe, and doctors who give out too many medicines should face real consequences.
The damage reaches everywhere. Children miss school. Adults lose work and hope. Experts say women are about twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression. Silence, shame and looking away cost us far more than honest care ever would.
So let us start by talking. Let us talk often, and let us talk with kindly. Open conversation clears away old myths. And it makes sure that no one who suffers is ever forgotten.
• Farzam Talees Bhatti is a Pakistan-based journalist and correspondent writing on politics, society, economics, and current affairs for international audiences. His work focuses on issues shaping Pakistan and its place in the wider world.
[email protected]
There is some good news. Last month, the government launched a National Mental Health Policy. It promises to bring care to local clinics and communities, so that people do not have to travel far or wait long. The plan gives the whole country one common path, but each province, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir can shape it to fit their own needs. It aims to make mental health part of everyday health care, to spot problems early, and to help people recover. This is a good start. But a plan on paper heals no one. It must now be carried out with care, money and patience.
The cost of waiting is high. When people go without help, they lose years of healthy life, and the country loses their strength and skills. In hard times, more young people feel anxious and low. More turn to drugs. More lose their lives to suicide. Climate shocks and too much time online make it even harder to stay strong. And shame makes everything worse, because people hide their pain until it grows too heavy.
To make the plan work, Pakistan must first change old ways of thinking. Sadness and fear are not signs of weakness. Big hospitals need counsellors, not just a few clinics in a few cities. Family doctors need training so they can notice the signs early and send patients to a specialist in time. Care must be affordable, so it is not only for the rich. But cheap care must also be safe, and doctors who give out too many medicines should face real consequences.
The damage reaches everywhere. Children miss school. Adults lose work and hope. Experts say women are about twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression. Silence, shame and looking away cost us far more than honest care ever would.
So let us start by talking. Let us talk often, and let us talk with kindly. Open conversation clears away old myths. And it makes sure that no one who suffers is ever forgotten.
• Farzam Talees Bhatti is a Pakistan-based journalist and correspondent writing on politics, society, economics, and current affairs for international audiences. His work focuses on issues shaping Pakistan and its place in the wider world.
[email protected]
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