SUKKUR: A walk to mark World Mental Health Day was organized by the Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Sukkur with the collaboration of Inter Global Human Development Society (IGHDS) Sukkur here on Tuesday.
The day was observed to raise awareness about mental health issues, said participants. They said that disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy substance abuse etc, caused immense suffering to the affected. This also intensifies the vulnerability leading patients to a life of self-destruction, they said.
The walk was attended by a large number of doctors, nurses, Para-medical staff and people from different sections of the society. It was followed by a seminar at the main hall of the college. Principal Professor Dr Shahid Mirani said that the people were not aware as to how important it was to consult a doctor to address their psychological problems. He said that people also do not realize the importance of being mentally and psychologically fit.
Dr Aftab Soomro said that the most vulnerable were children and adolescents with mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders therefore mental health and well-being of people should be protected. Walk and seminars provide an opportunity to communicate with the general public about mental health issues, he said.
Dr Fatima revealed that around 30 per cent of our population was suffering from mental disorders whereas the majority don’t exhibit signs but rather pass trauma silently.
She stressed that the government to consider providing treatment and counselling to the public by appointing counsellors in public departments, schools, colleges and universities. Mental disorders can affect anyone and at any stage of life, she said emphasizing on integration of mental health into the public health system.
Dr Altaf Awan blamed various factors for contributing to the high rate of mental health problems in Pakistan as according to him one in four patients visiting a health service suffers from at least one mental, neurological or behavioural disorder but in most cases, these remain undiagnosed. Dr Shabana Solangi said that untreated disorders bring about unhealthy behaviour and poor prognosis. She said that among the population of over 160 million people, a large segment was the silent sufferer of some form of mental disorder.
CEO, IGHDS Dr Shakeel Ahmed Jameel called for an improved psychiatry syllabus at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and said that the lives of depressed and psychiatric patients could be saved by providing them timely care.