KARACHI, March 22: Speakers at a seminar here on Saturday said due to the oppressive situation prevailing in society women were comparatively more vulnerable to mental disorders.

Speaking at the seminar on “Women and mental health,” organized by an NGO, the Karwan-i-Hayat for Better Mental Health, they said World Health Organization figures showed that nearly 10 per cent of the population suffered from mental disorders, but the actual number would be much higher. Furthermore, most of the patients were women.

They said even if the WHO figures were taken as accurate it would bring the number of people suffering from mental disorders to nearly one million in Karachi. Unfortunately, there was not a single comprehensive care and rehabilitation centre in the city, they deplored.

Giving reasons for the high incidence of mental problems in women, they said women were discriminated against from the beginning. A girlchild was not treated on a par with a male child in every aspect — be it education, health, clothing, or food.

They said women having education up to matriculation were more affected as they knew their rights, but could not get them. Their less educated or illiterate sisters did not know their rights so they did not suffer as much their educated sisters. On the other hand, highly educated women were more confident and they knew to get what they wanted.

The speakers said having large families, troubled marital relations, tensions in the family and socioeconomic factors were also some of the reasons which resulted in mental disorders. They said besides working women were also exposed to harassment at workplace.

They urged families and friends to give moral support to those suffering from mental disorders.

They said mental disorder should be treated as normal illness and patients should not be considered to have been affected by supernatural spirits, ghosts, etc. Patients should not be taken to quacks and so-called holy men. Mental illness should be treated by qualified doctors.

A former woman jail official said women inmates were comparatively under more strain as many of them had left their children outside and were worried about them. The social stigma attached to women having been in prison and the general belief, though entirely wrong, that such women are of easy virtue also put women inmates under severe mental stress.

She said women prisoners also feared that they might not be fully rehabilitated and reintegrated into the family and society, as they would have doubts about their character. She said though good medical facilities — doctors, medicines, etc — were available, professionals physicians for mental disorders should also be provided. At present inmates suffering from mental disorders were getting help from volunteers.

The speakers also urged the media to highlight the problems being faced by those suffering from mental disorders to create awareness of their problems. This would also facilitate people suffering from mental disorders to be treated with more compassion by family and society.

A representative of the organizers said the Karwan-i-Hayat, which now organized free medical camps in kutchi abadis, planned to establish a mental healthcare and rehabilitation centre for the poor in the city.

The 50-bed facility — 25 beds each for males and females — would cost about Rs33 million. The centre will be set up in Korangi, where it will be easily accessible to the poor.

Psychiatrists Unaiza Niaz and Shahin Husain, psychologist Seema Munaf, DSP Najma Perveen, a former patient, Naheed Akhtar, Samina Khwaja, Masroor Ahmed of the Karvan-i-Hayat and others also spoke at the seminar, conducted by Ajmal Kazmi.