ISLAMABAD: Though usually around 15 per cent people require counselling on mental health, after Covid-19 the ratio has been increased to around 25pc in Pakistan. On the other hand around 80pc Pakistanis lack the facilities of mental health treatment.

This was stated by National Technical Adviser Mental Health Coordination Unit of Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Dr Asma Humayun on Sunday while speaking at an event held in connection with Mental Health Day.

The Mental Health Helpline for Islamabad was also launched on the occasion.

People with mental health issues can contact on the helpline 1282 where 40 healthcare providers will give them counselling.

Govt launches helpline to support people confronted with mental health issues

They have been trained to deal with people through the helpline and another 1,000 teachers and volunteers are being trained to identify people with mental health issues in the society.

Later, Dr Asma Humayun, while talking to Dawn, said resources for mental health in Pakistan were not only scarce, but largely unregulated.

“Existing services are concentrated in tertiary hospitals, and the predominant model of practice is bio-medical which means these services are responsive to moderate to severe mental disorders only. Furthermore, existing services were greatly compromised by the added strain of Covid-19 pandemic,” she said while speaking at the event.

The theme for the World Mental Health Day was ‘Mental health in an unequal world’.

Dr Asma said the overall objective of the day was to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.

The day provided an opportunity to all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide, she said.

Dr Asma said a doctor should hear the issues of a person suffering from mental health issues, rather than prescribing six medicines, adding that efforts were being made to educate health professionals as well.

Meanwhile, the four digit helpline [1282] is backed by an integrated web portal and the service is easily accessible. Users can book an appointment to consult a mental health professional via a web portal www.mhpss.pk or call or send a message to 1282 to request for an appointment.

“The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Network (MHPSS) plan is being implemented through a strong inter-sectoral collaboration with relevant stakeholders including the ministries of national health services and federal education and professional training/Federal Directorate of Education, ICT administration, Directorate General of Special Education, Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, National Telecom Corporation, Nust and relevant NGOs,” she said.

“To facilitate public access to the service, nearly 1,000 members of the community (including frontline responders, teachers and students) are being trained as Hamdard Force to provide basic psychosocial support and also identify those in need of help. They will be able to instantly connect with the mental health team through a Hamdard Force mobile application. A mobile application (MyCare+) has been specifically designed to support frontline responders,” she said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on people’s mental health. Some groups, including health and other frontline workers, students, people living alone and those with pre-existing mental health conditions have been particularly affected, and services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders have been significantly disrupted.

“Yet there is cause for optimism. During the World Health Assembly in May 2021, governments from around the world recognised the need to scale up quality mental health services at all levels. And some countries have found new ways of providing mental health care to their populations,” the WHO stated.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2021