Daily Times

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being- World Health Organization.

Today we are living in the 21st century in an underdeveloped country and we are far better off as in terms of advancement of technology and communication as compared to former centuries. Anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts are all forms of mental health problems. The mounting rate of mental health problems is an alarming situation for all of us, as it is not only existent in adults now but also can be found in children and teenagers too.  It has become a dilemma on which one needs to stand up and raise their voice to be tackled prior before it gets too late.

Everyone needs to understand that having depression or anxiety is not an abnormality but a temporary disorder that needs to be addressed and handled with love and care. According to medical experts, depression can be caused by various reasons such as family history, happenings in environment or surroundings, lack of proper diet, sleeping pattern; it can also be caused by unemployment, illiteracy and many more which can negatively affects how one feels, thinks and acts. It causes feelings of sadness or a loss of interest in activities one enjoyed once and leads to a variety of emotional and physical problems and ultimately it decreases a person’s ability to function at work and at home. Therefore, if it is not treated on time, these problems can become chronic and lead to ample deficiencies in an individual’s ability to take care of his or her everyday responsibilities. In today’s time the suicide rate in Pakistan is at a snowballing rate. Nowadays, suicides among the youngsters is getting common. We often hear and see the students committing suicide either in their university or at their home.

Everyone needs to understand that having depression or anxiety is not an abnormality but a temporary disorder that needs to be addressed and handled with love and care. According to medical experts, depression can be caused by various reasons such as family history, happenings in environment or surroundings, lack of proper diet, sleeping pattern; it can also be caused by unemployment, illiteracy and many more which can negatively affect how one feels, thinks and acts

However, it is awful and unfortunate in Pakistan that people do not understand that if one has mental health issues they should address them. People need to change their mindsets regarding psychiatrists as they think consulting a psychiatrist means they will be stigmatized and so others will treat them differently. Here one needs to understand that depression is a serious problem which needs consultation by the doctor. So instead of telling people that it is caused just because one is far from their religion is certainly not true. Depression is caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters between nerve cells in the brain and result in having too little serotonin in the brain. We can take an example of someone who gets injured or seriously ill. In that case, you tell them to consult a doctor, urgently. You do not say that it is because you are far from your religious practices one is in troublesome condition. So these days, people need to change their mindset, heed the others and advise them to consult a doctor.

Individuals should understand the importance of getting effective and urgent treatment by going to psychiatrists and getting proper treatment, either through medication which includes antidepressants or therapy. This will help the one in need. Moreover, the government must take a quick action regarding this, by giving more funds for mental health problems and their medication.

NGO’s should step forward and spread awareness regarding this issue and enlighten people of all age groups regarding the causes, symptoms and solutions of mental health problems. Education about mental health issues must be addressed at school and university level too, by conducting seminars or lectures which shall be made mandatory for all students to attend. Parents should diminish the communication gap between them and their children so that children are comfortable to share their problems and can get help from their elders.

I firmly believe that by following and implementing solutions to the problem, it will diminish and control the rising mental health problems including the rate of depression and suicides, in Pakistan.

Let’s help each other and be the reason behind someone’s smile.

Published in Daily Times, February 13^th 2019.