One in three adults in Pakistan has a mental health disorder, 18,000-person study in BMJ finds

About one in three adults in Pakistan, 32%, currently has a mental or behavioural disorder, according to a national study of nearly 18,000 adults from all four provinces, published in the British Medical Journal and reported by Dawn.

The five-year project (2018 to 2022) was led by Prof Raza-ur-Rahman, head of psychiatry at Hamdard University, Karachi, with Prof Anjum Memon of Brighton and Sussex Medical School as senior co-author, on behalf of the Pakistan Psychiatric Society. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics chose the survey areas and set the sample, so the results reflect the country, not just hospital patients.

The key numbers

Who is most affected

Rates were higher among:

• older adults
• people with less education and lower incomes
• the unemployed
• people who are widowed, divorced or separated

The researchers found these conditions were linked to real damage to family life, relationships and work.

What the doctors want

The study calls for mental health care to be built into primary health care, so a basic health unit or family doctor can spot and treat common conditions; more community-based support; better training for frontline health workers; and a sustained national effort against stigma. Pakistan Psychiatric Society president Prof Wajid Akhundzada pointed to the shortage of specialist services and trained professionals.

What you can do

• Common conditions such as depression and anxiety are treatable, and a GP is a reasonable first stop.
• Psychiatry departments in public teaching hospitals in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta see patients through their outpatient departments. Find one near you in our hospitals directory.
• If you or someone close to you is struggling, talk to a doctor or someone you trust. Help works best early.

The study adds to recent health reporting on our health desk.