KARACHI, March 15: Mental health is a central dimension of human health, which supports quality of life, economic growth and social betterment and as a nation we need to focus on this aspect.

This was stated by Pakistan Steel Mills Chairman Lt-Gen (Retd) Abdul Qayyum while addressing a seminar titled ‘Mental disorders and the consequences’ here on Wednesday. It was jointly organized by the Aghosh Special Children School, Care Vocational Community Centre and the Hadeed Welfare Trust of Pakistan Steel in collaboration with an NGO, Organization for Mental Health.

The seminar was part of an awareness campaign to draw attention of general public towards psychological and mental disorders, and their related treatment.

PSM chairman informed the audience that according to World Bank’s study and WHO’s statistics mental illnesses including suicide account for 15 per cent of the burden of disease which was more than the disease burden caused by cancer.

To measure a global burden of disease a factor called ‘Disability adjusted life years’ was calculated, he added.

Emphasizing the need to treat and pay attention to depression syndrome, he said that major depressions were the leading causes of mental disabilities and this disease not only affected individuals but also their families and the whole society.

Stating the reasons for major impediments towards the treatment of mental health disease, Lt-Gen Abdul Qayyum asserted that many mental diseases remained uncured because it was considered as stigma in our society and people did not discuss their problems even with their dear ones. Secondly, expert psychiatrist were a very few in comparison to the number of patients. Thirdly, people could not afford such a long-term expensive treatment. “We are trying to upgrade ‘Aghosh’ on modern lines which is Special Children School, one of the projects of Hadeed Welfare Trust run by Pakistan Steel,” he remarked.

Earlier, Jinnah Postgraduate Medial Centre’s psychiatry department head Prof (Dr) Mussarat Hussain said that 20 per cent of the diseases were of psychological nature in one way or the other. Of this, he said, 10 per cent patients required treatment on immediate basis.

He applauded the services rendered by Aghosh Special Children School in imparting physical and occupational education to mentally and physically retarded children. Aghosh Special Children School Principal Zahida Jalees and Dr Abro of the WHO also spoke. —APP