Experts at an international psychiatric conference in Karachi have revealed shocking figures about Pakistan’s escalating mental health crisis. They warned that one in every three Pakistanis (34% of the population) suffers from some form of mental illness, a rate significantly higher than the global average of one in five.
The conference highlighted the severe human cost of this crisis. It was revealed that last year, approximately 1,000 people died by suicide due to various mental pressures, and a staggering 10% of the population is struggling with drug addiction.
Professor Muhammad Iqbal Afridi, the conference’s scientific committee chair, noted that depression is overwhelmingly high among women. He attributed this to their social status and domestic conflicts. Among the youth, the use of dangerous drugs like “Ice” (crystal meth) is causing a rapid spike in mental disorders.
Experts also pointed to broader societal issues as major factors. Economic hardship, unemployment, natural disasters like recent floods and earthquakes, and the lingering effects of terrorism have all left deep “negative impacts” on the public’s mental well-being.
The most critical failure identified was in the healthcare system. Professor Wajid Ali Akhundzada, President of the Pakistan Psychiatric Society, stated that there are only 90 qualified psychiatrists for the entire 240 million population. This means there is only one doctor for every 500,500 patients, far below the World Health Organization’s standard of one per 10,000 people.
The experts concluded with an urgent call for the government to implement an effective strategy, warning that the nation’s youth, in particular, appear “desperate and hopeless” due to the current situation.
