KARACHI: Expressing concern over the growing mental health crisis in society, speakers at a seminar held on Tuesday suggested several interventions ranging from public awareness, high quality treatment and rehab services to training programmes for health workers and establishment of detoxification units, especially in Tharparkar district where recent studies and surveys indicated an alarming frequency of depression, suicide and substance abuse.

Organised by Sindh Mental Health Authority (SMHA), the event aimed at highlighting the growing mental health crisis in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, floods and the issues affecting the elderly population in society.

Sharing his experience of the recent Diplo psychiatry camps, Dr Syed Amir Dabir, the medical superintendent of Sir Cowasjee Jahangir Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, said a high number of patients were diagnosed with mental health illnesses, particularly depression.

Giving a presentation, he told audience: “Out of the 465 patients examined at psychiatry camps held in Diplo, we found 58 per cent suffering from depression, 10pc from anxiety disorder, 15pc psychosis, and three per cents epilepsy and learning disability each,” adding: “Whereas the team diagnosed 46pc patients with epilepsy, 14pc with mental retardation and 13pc with depression out of the 550 cases examined at the Kaloi taluka headquarter hospital.”

Dr Dabir emphasised the need for training medical officers and community health and social workers in Tharparkar to ensure early diagnosis and management of mental health illness.

About her observations during the psychiatry camp in Thar, Prof Qudsia Tariq, chairperson of Karachi University’s psychology department, said most of the women suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome were malnourished and anaemic.

“A few women also reported suicidal ideation while men mostly reported constant stress and depressed mood along with high levels of irritability and anger while some also reported suicidal ideas as they felt that they have failed to feed their families,” she said, adding that the majority of children were diagnosed with mental retardation followed by cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Call to decriminalise suicide

According to Prof Tariq, childhood disorders and intellectual disabilities might be a result of inappropriate gynaecological facilities and rampant malnourishment among mothers in Tharparkar.

In her recommendations, she underscored the need for setting up improved gynaecological services, helplines and drug detoxification units as well as launching nutrition programmes.

Speakers during the course of discussion urged the government to decriminalise suicide so that its exact number could be assessed that would in turn help find reasons behind the desperate act.

“Criminalising suicide doesn’t prevent people from acting on suicidal thoughts. It simply stops them from reaching out and seeking help in times of acute crisis. Besides, the secrecy over the incident is a major barrier in tackling the issue as concerned family members tend to hide the incident, fearing legal action,” social activist Rizwan Edhi noted.

The government, he pointed out, must first determine the actual number of suicides happening in society in order to find the reasons behind the act and designing interventions.

Speakers included SMHA chairman Dr Karim Khawja, Vice Chancellor of Jinnah Sindh Medical University Prof Amjad Siraj Memon and Chief Secretary Dr Mohammad Sohail Rajput.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2022