Rehabilitation plan launched for chronic psychotic patients

PESHAWAR: A mental health organization, Horizon, has launched a programme to rehabilitate patients with chronic psychosis by partnering with a Lahore-based organization.

“We have launched the programme for chronic psychotic patients-a term used for the severely ill-to rehabilitate them, which is, no doubt, a challenging task. Horizon has joined hands with Fountain House in Lahore for this purpose,” said Prof Dr Khalid Mufti, Chief Executive Officer of Horizon, a non-profit organization, while speaking at its management board meeting.

The meeting participants reviewed the organization’s activities, achievements, and plans.Dr Khalid Mufti acknowledged that rehabilitating chronic psychotic patients, often diagnosed with schizophrenia, was a major challenge. However, the organization had embraced this task.

“Mumlikat Zahir, a CBT [Cognitive Behaviour Therapy] specialist at Horizon, received a three-day training at the Fountain House in Lahore, one of the top mental health facilities in Asia. The training focused on low-intensity CBT,” he explained.

Following the training, Mumlikat began working with patients alongside other staff members at Horizon, applying the techniques learned at Fountain House.Dr Khalid Mufti said that the main intervention was to activate patients through structured daily activities, using a chart system.

“This approach proved effective, as the patients showed improvement within days. Key family members accompanying them were also educated, enabling them to care for the patients at home, with a strong follow-up mechanism,” he noted.

The board was informed that the programme was initially launched at the Fountain House but was later extended to Horizon in Peshawar. It also included income-generating activities for rehabilitated patients, supported by the Akhuwat organization.

“Akhuwat, known for its well-structured philanthropic work, will provide seed money to rehabilitated individuals to start small businesses and will monitor their progress. The loans are to be repaid once the recipients begin earning. Akhuwat ran a similar programme previously, achieving a debt recovery rate of nearly 99 per cent,” Dr Khalid Mufti recalled.

Regarding other achievements, he told the board that 1,000 patients from Khost, Afghanistan, had been treated through the Tele-Psychiatry Clinic for Afghan patients.“We are going to publish two reports-one on this remote psychiatry facility and another on the psychiatric issues faced by Afghan refugees. Horizon has been serving this population for over 40 years,” he added.

Dr Khalid Mufti also highlighted climate change as a growing global concern, noting its impact on mental health.“We must be cautious with water usage, especially in light of the recent armed conflict with India, when the Indian government threatened to revoke the Indus Waters Treaty. This is just one of many potential climate-related challenges,” he warned.

The board decided to form a team comprising Aslam Meer and Dr Khadim Ibrahim to launch an awareness campaign targeting schools, colleges, and universities to promote responsible water use.

Some members proposed training teachers under the organization’s “Geo-psychiatry and Climate Change Programme” and suggested involving religious scholars to raise awareness during Friday sermons, particularly on topics like water conservation.

The board was also informed that internship opportunities for postgraduate psychology students had been expanded at Horizon. These now include six-month and one-year programmes to equip interns with practical psychological techniques before they enter the workforce in clinics, universities, and NGOs.It was noted that Horizon was making significant contributions to digital mental health and education.

Prof Dr Ali Mufti, the organization’s Executive Director, has created educational videos on mental health that are posted online regularly. Small digital toolkits are also becoming increasingly popular among viewers.

Dr Khalid Mufti said the organization was strengthening its collaboration with community-based groups. “One such partner is Dosti, funded by a US-based Pakistani, Dr Munir Ahmad. It is doing commendable work, including setting up one-room schools in KP and other provinces, which have proven successful,” he said, adding that a paper had been published on the initiative and was worth reading.