Suffering in silence

Pakistan has an alarmingly high number of people suffering from mental disorders. It is estimated that 80 million people in Pakistan are suffering from various psychological disorders. Roughly, one out of three people is affected by them at any point in life. The stigma associated with mental health issues makes even talking about them a taboo. Thus, millions of people in our country suffer in silence and aggravate their condition or even end up committing suicide. Although these common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety are highly curable, people hardly receive any treatment owing to no psychiatric help in their vicinity. Mental health services are exceedingly poor in our country and the government has always failed miserably to reform them. The healthcare authorities should take drastic measures in order to improve our mental health services and bring awareness among people regarding mental health issues so that nobody suffers in silence.

Sona Bakhtawar Bijarani

Shikarpur