October 10, 2007	Wednesday	Ramazan 27, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Oct 9: World Mental Health Day is being observed on Wednesday, and this year’s theme is: “Mental health in a changing world: the impact of culture and diversity”.

Culture may influence many aspects of mental health, including how individuals from a given culture communicate and manifest their symptoms, their style of coping, their family and community supports, and their willingness to seek treatment.

Likewise, the cultures of the clinician and the service system influence diagnosis, treatment, and service delivery. Cultural and social influences are not the only determinants of mental illness and patterns of service use, but they do play important roles.

Results of a mapping project carried out by World Health Organization says, mental and neurological disorders are responsible for 13 per cent of the global burden of disease. In addition, more than half of the 10 leading risk factors that cause one third of premature deaths worldwide have behavioural determinants, such as unsafe sex, tobacco or alcohol consumption.

Though the status of paediatric health in Pakistan has been improving over the past several years, an imperative avenue, which has remained neglected, is the paediatric mental health. Though country wide surveys are not available in literature, estimates gauge the prevalence of childhood mental disabilities in Pakistan to around 17 per cent (8 per cent mental retardation and 9 per cent behavioural, emotional and pervasive developmental disturbances), according to a research study by medical students of Aga Khan University.

WHO’s atlas of mental health resources showed that 37 per cent of 203 countries do not have a mental health policy and 25 per cent of the 101 countries that reported their mental health budget spend less than one per cent of the total health budget on mental health. In comparison to the burden imposed by mental disorders, mental health is also an under-researched health area.

The project recommended that governments and other institutions should consider mental health crucial to the overall health of their populations and to their national development. Mental, neurological and behavioural disorders cause immense suffering and disability. Furthermore, mental disorders and their untoward consequences are the cause of major economic and social costs. Also, people with these disorders are often subjected to social isolation, poor quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality.

The project report recommended that governments and other institutions should consider mental health crucial to the overall health of their populations and to their national development. Mental disorders cause immense suffering, disability, and consequently major economic and social costs. When they go untreated, they may lead to unhealthy behaviours, noncompliance with prescribed regimens, and even to diminished immune functioning and poor overall prognosis. The inclusion of mental health at all levels of health planning could make the difference.