SOUND mental health eludes far too many Pakistanis. Statistics tell us that every fifth person living in this country, including children and adolescents, suffers from a psychological disorder; more than 75pc of them receive no treatment. That bleak scenario has become yet more grim on account of the pandemic-related challenges that have tested everyone’s emotional resilience. Data gathered for a scientific research project at the Neuro Computational Lab of Karachi’s NED University of Engineering & Technology has found levels of depression, anxiety and stress increasing among the youth in the metropolis. Using 3,000 individuals as test subjects, the study — which looks at ‘neurological biomarkers’ and is part of an international-level publication on the effects of the global health calamity — records a startling 35pc to 40pc rise in the severity of these conditions among those with mild and moderate psychological issues. Alarmingly, there is also a 28pc increase in the severity of depression, as well as 27pc and 22pc in levels of anxiety and stress, respectively, among individuals suffering from extreme and severe psychological problems.

Pakistan’s mental health tragedy is two-fold. Firstly, governments have never attached due importance to this essential aspect of well-being which has profound consequences for national advancement — even if we look at the issue solely through the utilitarian lens of lost productivity. There is no national mental health policy and while some provinces have mental health legislation, it is barely implemented; legislation to decriminalise attempted suicide was recently deferred; and it was only last year the Supreme Court ruled that condemned prisoners with severe mental illness would be exempt from the execution of death sentences against them. Secondly, the stigma attached to mental illness compounds the paucity of resources available for treatment and support of those in need and isolates them further. Amid the exceptional circumstances wrought by the pandemic from 2020 onward, that isolation was further deepened. Many people suffered loss of income in a contracting economy; young people had to cope, or were unable to cope, with a radically changed education scenario; many women and children were forced into lockdown with abusive family members, etc. It is by now well-documented that cases of domestic violence skyrocketed during the pandemic as earlier avenues of support or relief (such as going to work/school/college) became unavailable to victims.

Worldwide, the psychological impact of the pandemic is being recognised. Given how far behind Pakistan has been in terms of investing in mental health, this is an opportunity for the country to change direction and systematically address the shortcomings in the sector. We need a holistic and practical approach that brings mental healthcare to the vast population; specialist services at the tertiary level alone are not enough to cater to the need. Moreover, there must be an unvarnished conversation around mental health in the country to clear the superstitions and misconceptions that surround it.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2022