World Mental Health Day: Speakers call for more investment to ensure mental health to all

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar here on Friday called more investment to ensure mental health to all without any discrimination.

The seminar was arranged by the Horizon, a non-governmental organisation, at the Ibadat Hospital in connection with the World Mental Health Day which is marked on October 10.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) theme for the day this year is “Mental Health for all — Greater Investment, Greater Access, Everyone, Everywhere.”

The keynote speaker was Dr Ali Ahsan Mufti, a mental health expert, consultant psychiatrist at the Ibadat Hospital who is an assistant professor at the Jinnah Medical College.

Dr Ali Ahsan Mufti, also a master trainer of the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Progarmme (mhGAP) and executive body member of Pakistan Psychiatric Society said the mental health is associated with our feelings, thinking, emotions and moods, adding it has a huge impact on every aspect of our life.

Of benefits of good mental health, he said emotionally healthy people are in control of their emotions and behaviours. “They are able to handle life’s challenges, build strong relationships, lead productive and fulfilling lives,” he added and said when bad things happen, such people are able to bounce back and move on.

Talking of the stress, he said it is something we all have. “It has plus points as it helps us respond to challenges and experiences”, he said. However, too much stress can seriously affect our well-being, physical and mental health”, he pointed out.

The speaker said the excessive stress is a key factor in mental health problems developed by young people.

He said some effects of excessive stress are physical such as headaches, rashes, breathlessness, panic attacks, aching joints, nausea, stomach pain, muscle cramps, sleep issues, eating issues while emotional effects are sadness, nervous, anxiety, anger issues, tension, fear, depression, feeling worthless.

Dr Ali said excessive stress can lead to depression, eating disorders, self-harm, severe anxiety and even suicide. Some causes of excessive stress are a breakdown of family relationship, bereavement, moving house /school, changes in friendship, examinations, abuse, bullying, negative social media posts and experiencing /witnessing violence. He gave some suggestions to relieve excessive stress and improve our mental health and the ability to bounce back.

In the second part of his presentation, Dr Ali dwelt at the issue of violence against women and girls. He said the violence against women and girls is a huge challenge and an obstacle to development, equality and peace. The speaker gave different forms of violence against women such as physical, sexual, psychological and cited examples as well.

He said violence against women and girls take various forms in Pakistan and mentioned ‘honour’ killings, rape, acid attacks and stove burning by family members, domestic violence, harassment at workplaces harmful traditional practices such as Swara, etc. Dr Ali said the reasons for this violence are deeply rooted in gender inequality, gender discrimination, the low status of women in the male-dominated society. He said violence can have physical, social, psychological effects on women, in both long and short-term which results in serious consequences.

About the psychological impacts, he mentioned depression, emotional distress, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide attempts. Under physical Health he named headaches, back pain, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal disorders, limited mobility and poor overall health.

The speaker said everyone has a role to play in addressing the violence against women. He said to prevent and respond to violence against women, multiple sectors of society such as health, education, social service, local government, police, judiciary and media must work together.

Professor Dr Mukhtarul Haq Azeemi of the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) said about two billion people in the world were suffering from mental health issues one way or other. He said the situation in Pakistan was not satisfactory. He called for launching efforts by putting the focus on kids. Dr Samia Iftikhar of the LRH spoke about 22 psychiatric disorders and their causes. She suggested a holistic approach to address the issue, adding that believed a strong belief could make a lot of difference. Dr Naqibullah Nang, a postgraduate trainer from Afghanistan, said the war in his country had affected the mental health of the people there. He said being a neighbour, these issues have impacted the people of KP.

Earlier, senior psychiatrist and chairman of Horizon, Professor Dr Khalid Mufti, welcomed the participants. He enumerated the efforts of his organisation in the mental health sector which he had launched with the Green December Movement almost 40 years back. At the end of the function, awards were given away to Abida Naeem, Zareen Akhtar, Dr Ali Ahsan Mufti, Dr Naqeebullah Nang, Dr Samia Iftikhar, Khaista Noreen and Sajjad Babar (posthumous).