KARACHI, Oct 4: Speakers at a seminar on Tuesday stressed the need for timely detection and treatment of people suffering from mental diseases and increase in awareness about mental health.

The seminar was organized by the psychology department of Karachi University at arts auditorium in connection with the World Mental Health Day. The department had also set up different stalls in collaboration with some entrepreneurs and social welfare organizations, where psychological assessment, quick counselling by senior students, and information and other related services were provided to visitors.

In her welcome address, psychology department’s chairperson Rakhshinda Talat Hussain said that collaborative efforts of professionals belonging to the mental health subject should be enhanced and directed towards betterment of humanity.

Talking about the myths related to psychiatry, senior psychiatrist Dr Iqtidar Taufiq said many people thought that psychiatrists put patients on addictive drugs and as such there was no good in consulting the doctors for any treatment. He said that patients were usually misled by traditional quacks and as such the cases had already been made complicated when reported to psychiatrists.

He said that the prevalence rate of psychiatric illness was around 20 per cent in Pakistan, which was alarming. However, he mentioned that most of the stigmas related to mentally disordered people were self-inflicted and cases were treatable.

Afsheen Anwar of aku focussed on peoples’ attitude towards the material used in psycho assessment and discussed about their unreliability and non-relevancy. She emphasized the role of psychologists and held that they could also treat the patients.

Nasir Mehmood stressed the need of spreading the information that mental health problems, like other physical diseases, could be cured with the support of family members and other sections of the society. “Most of the time, we avoid patients due to the stigma attached with the psychiatric and psychological services,” he added.

Zia Awan suggested that the KU psychology department should open a centre where people seeking treatment could be sent for assistance and guidance, following which they would be in a better position to have a decision. He also called for implementation of the mental health related laws in the country.

On the occasion, leaflets published by the psychology department were also distributed among the visitors suggesting that professional assistance should be sought whenever one feels that he or she was suffering from the symptoms of psychological problems. Patients should not hide or conceal the facts because the neglect in the later stage could lead to devastating effects on their entire personality.