PESHAWAR: Department of Psychology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women’s University (SBBWU) here on Thursday arranged a seminar in connection with ‘Mental Health Awareness Day’ with an aim to create awareness regarding the prevailing mental health issues in the society.
The students from the department of psychology displayed various stalls, each representing different mental and psychological issues along with their symptoms and preventive measures whereas students of Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology (PGDCP), a specialized degree under the umbrella of the host department displayed a counseling desk where the personality assessment and other tests were conducted on the spot by the students.
A poster and Model Display Competition was also held between the students regarding “Psychological Distress” in which students from BS and Masters and PGDCP came up with different ideas and models to reflect the theme given. The Vice-Chancellor (VC) and Founder of Iftekhar Psychiatric Hospital visited all the display stalls and assessed the work of students and declared the position holders.
A Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) was also signed between SBBWUP and Iftekhar Psychiatric Hospital (IPH) by Prof. Dr Safia Ahmed (T.I), VC, and Dr Mian Iftekhar, Founder IPH under which both the institutes will hold collaborative research and campaigns to deal with the psychological health issues.
Also, both institutes will mutually deal with the relevant cases with respect to their area of expertise and the students of SBBWUP will be provided internship opportunities at IPH.
The VC stated, “Mental health is a burning issue nowadays and every individual is so deeply indulged in the competitive race of life that we are unable to realize how much our mental and psychological wellbeing is affected and most of all are unaware about the term “Mental Health” even.”
“It is a dire need to create awareness to address issues and all the relevant organizations/institutes must join hands and come forward for a cause,” he stressed.