Multan: People facing mental health problems need to be heard, understood and supported instead of being judged or criticised.
This was stated by speakers at a panel discussion held at Multan Postgraduate College on Friday to mark World Mental Health Day 2026.
The event was organised by the Young Pakistanis Organisation (YPO) Multan in collaboration with the college to raise awareness about mental health problems, especially among young people, and encourage families and society to treat those affected with care and respect.
Dr Mureed Hussain Malik, Chairman of the Department of Gender Studies at Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan, chaired the event, while Dr Muhammad Azeem Qureshi, Additional Secretary, Higher Education Department (HED), South Punjab, attended as the chief guest.
Other speakers included Professor Usama Bashir Qureshi, Regional Director of Punjab Group of Colleges, Multan Region; psychologist Dr Iftikhar Masood Warraich; Professor Irfan Hussain; Dr Tahira Rafiq, District Education Officer (Literacy), Muzaffargarh; and YPO Multan President Naeem Iqbal Naeem.
The theme of World Mental Health Day 2026 was ‘Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change’. It highlighted the need to listen to people who face mental health problems and take practical steps to help them.
During the panel discussion, psychologists Dr Syed Muzaffar Hussain, Dr Afshan Gul, Dr Noshaba Chaudhry, Tahira Kalsoom and Rana Zafar Iqbal discussed stress, anxiety, study pressure, family and social problems, and other challenges faced by young people.
The speakers said mental health was as important as physical health. They stressed that people facing emotional or mental difficulties needed support and proper guidance rather than negative comments or blame.
Dr Mureed Hussain Malik, Dr Azeem Qureshi and Usama Bashir Qureshi said families, educational institutions and social organisations should work together to help young people speak openly about their problems and seek help from experts when needed.
Dr Tahira Rafiq, Dr Noshaba Chaudhry, Tahira Kalsoom and Dr Afshan Gul said people should be encouraged to talk about mental health without fear or shame. They added that everyone deserved an environment where they could share their feelings and problems without being judged.
Naeem Iqbal Naeem said educational institutions and social organisations could play an important role in protecting young people’s mental health and helping them deal with life’s challenges. He said YPO Multan was continuing to arrange awareness programmes to promote social welfare and positive change.
Principal of Multan Postgraduate College Saira Rafiq also helped organise the event, while Humaira Saadia conducted the proceedings.
The event was attended by Rashid Abbas Khan, Adeeb Ahmed, Hafiz Muhammad Waqas, Rana Hakim Ali, Nasir Abbas, Farman Ali, Moez Malik, Haseeb Malik and other guests.
At the end of the event, commemorative shields and gifts were presented to the guests with the support of DSG Energy (Pvt) Ltd Pakistan and Fourteen Street Pizza Multan. An awareness walk was also held to spread the message of mental health care and encourage people to support those facing mental health problems.