One in three Pakistani adults has mental health disorder: report

Pakistan’s first nationally representative mental health survey has found that 32 per cent of adults are living with a diagnosable mental and behavioural disorder, while 38 per cent have experienced such a condition during their lifetime.

The five-year study, conducted between 2018 and 2022, involved nearly 18,000 adults across all four provinces and was published in the British Medical Journal, according to researchers representing the Pakistan Psychiatric Society (PPS).

Led by Professor Raza-ur-Rahman of Hamdard University, Karachi, the research was carried out in collaboration with Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the United Kingdom, the University of South Florida in the United States and psychiatric institutions across Pakistan.

The survey found that one in five adults met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while more than one in 10 had depression. Six per cent reported suicidal thoughts in the month preceding the survey.

Researchers also identified higher rates of mental health disorders among older people, those with lower incomes and education levels, unemployed individuals, and people who were widowed, divorced or separated.

The conditions were associated with difficulties in family life, social relationships and the ability to work.

Professor Raza-ur-Rahman said the findings provided national evidence to help policymakers develop mental health policies, plan services and identify populations most in need of care.

Senior co-author Professor Anjum Memon of Brighton and Sussex Medical School said the study provided national data on the scale of mental and behavioural disorders, addressing gaps left by fragmented local studies and international estimates.

PPS President Professor Wajid Akhundzada said Pakistan faced major challenges in providing mental healthcare, including limited specialist services and a shortage of trained professionals.

Researchers recommended integrating mental health services into primary healthcare, investing in community-based support, training frontline health workers and reducing stigma surrounding mental illness.