Mental health in Pakistan: one in three adults has a mental disorder, first national survey of 18,000 people finds

About one in three adults in Pakistan, 32%, is currently living with a mental or behavioural disorder, according to the country's first nationally representative mental health survey, published in the British Medical Journal. The study interviewed nearly 18,000 adults across all four provinces between 2018 and 2022, using survey areas and a sample drawn up by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Dawn reported on Sunday.

What the survey found

Rates were higher among older adults, people with less education and lower incomes, the unemployed, and people who were widowed, divorced or separated.

For a country of Pakistan's size, 32% of adults is tens of millions of people. Until now, policy has relied on smaller studies of single cities or hospitals; this is the first survey designed to represent the whole adult population.

Who did the research

The lead investigator is Prof Raza-ur-Rahman, head of psychiatry at Hamdard University in Karachi, and the senior co-author is Prof Anjum Memon of Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the UK. The University of South Florida and psychiatric institutions across Pakistan also took part.

"This survey provides the evidence needed to develop effective mental health policies and services in Pakistan," Prof Raza-ur-Rahman said. Prof Wajid Akhundzada, president of the Pakistan Psychiatric Society, said the country "currently faces major challenges in the provision of mental healthcare."

What the researchers want changed

1. Mental health care inside primary care, so a patient can be seen at a basic health unit or a family doctor rather than only at a big-city psychiatric hospital.
2. More community-based support, outside hospitals.
3. Better training for frontline health workers, including lady health workers and general practitioners, to recognise depression, anxiety and trauma.
4. A sustained national effort against stigma, which keeps many people from asking for help.

If you or someone at home is struggling

Depression and PTSD are treatable. A general physician can assess you and refer you to a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist; most teaching hospitals run a psychiatry outpatient department. You can find hospitals near you in our directory for Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. If someone is in immediate danger, call Rescue 1122 or take them to the nearest emergency department.

Some hospitals now treat patients free of charge; see our report on the new Margalla Hospital in Islamabad.