Social vigour can overcome mental health challenges, say experts

PESHAWAR: A senior psychiatrist Professor Dr Khalid Mufti has called for "contact and connect approach' at the family and societal level to overcome the growing mental health challenges.

Speaking at a session, the expert said, "If we look at the recent history of managing mental health issues and the associated illness, we have psycho, bio and social models which are in practice. But in real practice, there were psychology and psychiatry that is counselling, psychotherapy and drugs which are used to treat the mental illnesses."

"In fact, all kinds of these treatments proved to be partially successful. It was difficult to get substantial achievements for lack of awareness, scant family cohesion and deficient social integration," pointed out Prof Dr Khalid Mufti, who is head of the Horizon non-profit organisation that works in the mental health sector.

He said during his work in the mental health sector spanning four decades, he would discuss the mental health issues at any forum -- mediapersons, bureaucrats, judges and lawyers dealing with cases, spiritual leaders and religious scholars, etc who can shed light on them.

"I came to the conclusion that the lack of effective use of our social capital was the reason behind our inability to find solutions to mental health issues," said the senior mental health practitioner, addiction treatment expert and former principal of the Khyber Medical College, Peshawar.

"I have the belief that the economic, political and even crime-related issues can be tackled well by studying the impacts of the social factors on them. This will dilute such complex issues and people will ultimately like to come forward for the help to have them resolved but that would not be an easy task," he hastened to add.

The senior psychiatrist said there were a number of examples around us to observe. "When looking at the history of the successful people like iconic philanthropist late Abdul Sattar Edhi and other great social workers who ran the charities with a success, we are motivated to know the magic word used by them that made their work a success story to be emulated by others. And this is nothing but "connectivity" -- their ability to contact and connect with those who direly needed the help to survive," he elaborated.

Prof Dr Khalid Mufti was candid in acknowledging that despite holding high seniority, he feels pleasure in increasing his knowledge base by taking creative ideas from others that prove to be of immense help to him.

"I was in communication with a retired bureaucrat who has remained chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and served at several other important positions. A good friend and a scholar, it was him who pursued me to lay greater stress on the "contact and connect approach," recalled the expert, adding he got the straight answers to his queries as his friend explained the issue in a greater detail.

The senior psychiatrist said it is strange that even living within one family we have no proper connection. "And connection means you sit with your children, parents, and even friends spending the time to enjoy. A lack of interaction may lead to failure. Our success is in full connectivity. This connectivity can be applied to help in handling the mental health issues as well," he stressed.

The mental health expert believed that people who do not give enough time to the family face emotional issues and subsequent mental health problems. "Our homes should not be reduced to a mere abode where we eat and sleep. We should have time to sit with the family members to share, care and have plans for the futureprosperity. Spending time for holidays, sports and religious occasions could be more rewarding than medicine intake. This will lessen our stress reactions and pressures thrusts," he clarified.

When asked about the role of mobility in connectivity, he said that was not an issue. "There was a woman among my relatives who remained bed-ridden for almost 20 years. She would remain connected even restricted to her room. The woman would call people with her land phone and receive calls as well. She would help the needy in various ways. Her behaviour endeared her to the people who would love to visit her. She enjoyed respect when she was alive, and when she died, a large number of people with whom she had remained connected, turned up at the funeral to pay her respect," he remembered.