Disclaimer: The Eqbal Ahmad Centre for Public Education (EACPE) encourages critical and independent thinking and believes in a free expression of one’s opinion. However, the views expressed in contributed articles are solely those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the EACPE.
Mental disorder, as defined by Encyclopedia Britannica, is any illness with significant psychological or behavioral manifestations that is associated with either a painful or distressing symptom or an impairment in one or more important areas of functioning.
Mental illness, unfortunately, is still considered a taboo in Pakistan, and people are reluctant to reveal about it. This merits a serious attention, especially during these days when the world is passing through one of the most critical times as the newly discovered pandemic has taken the whole world by the storm.
Mental health affects how we feel, think, decide and behave.
Mental health awareness for youth has mostly been avoided and given a secondary importance as the society doesn’t seem to digest the fact that the youth does suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. Instead, it simply dispels it by calling it a ‘’temporary’’ phase of stress and declare the people suffering from it as ”fake depressed’’ which is really disturbing and alarming at the same time.
The cases of students suffering from psychological orders are increasing at a crucial rate. It is not the time to sit back and relax and let the storm settle down because it won’t and then it would be too late and the future of the nation will be severely jeopardized.
According to one estimate, as provided by Dr. Rafi Amiruddin, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics (COMSATS), around 50 million people in Pakistan suffer from mental health disorders. A wide range of psychiatric disorders have been reported, such as depression, substance and alcohol abuse, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. According to one estimate, 36%of Pakistanis suffer from anxiety and depression, which is often caused by distraught family and friend relations, the feeling of being marginalized by the society, unsteady economic and political conditions of the country giving rise to unemployment and poverty.
In case of Pakistan, there is a trend of not sharing thoughts and feelings with the family members that results in accumulation of suppressed emotions – something that may cause mental disorders. Strict and firm attitude on the part of parents play a major role in the escalation of the situation. The parents need to open up to their children and create an air of trust and friendliness, so that the children can find solace in them, share their fears and frustrations, and seek their guidance. This will prove to be beneficial in many different ways as it will result in the formation of a stronger bond between the family members that is crucial for the success of one’s family life. This will also play an important role in the confidence building and character formation of the youth which is highly important as the future of our great nation depends upon the success and well-being of its youth.
“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.’’ (Friedrich Nietzsche)
In order to cope with this enigma that is spreading faster than cancer, government should take strict steps regarding mental health awareness for every strata of the society. People should receive counselling from able psychologists and certified motivational speakers. Mental illness should be totally normalized in the country. Youth should be educated that it’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s a part of life. A trend of encouragement by peers should be promoted.
Reforms need to be carried out in our educational system as well. Youth shouldn’t be just taught to achieve good grades and secure representable jobs but should also be taught how to think critically. They need to learn how to analyze things that are happening around them and how to voice opinions about issues that matter to them the most.
The West has realized how important the role life skills play in shaping one’s life and has taken up the initiative of imparting this knowledge at the basic primary level. Children are taught to help others; they are taught to be empathetic towards others; respecting the elders and how to handle tough situations. They are taught self-acceptance which is really important in case of shaping one’s life.
The habit of book-reading and journal-writing should be encouraged among the youth in order to reduce the risk of mental illness. Book-reading has proven to be a very useful method to reduce stress as they provide you guidelines how to better your lives. Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.
“The more you read the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.’’ (Dr. Seuss)
Journal writing is a great source of relieving stress and is regarded as a good source of catharsis and can help to overcome mental disorders. It helps to reduce the intensity of negative thoughts and overcome painful memories which is necessary to manage the stress. It helps the youth to gather thoughts and makes them realize what is important for them and helps them prioritize their life choices. This aspect of journal writing is of instrumental value as it will help people move forward in their lives, get rid of negativity and work hard for their dreams.
The government and the general public should start taking mental health issue seriously and raise awareness regarding the illness. Service centers should be set up. These services should be subjected to evaluation and the results should be provided to professionals and planners to try to influence policy development. An efficient way to address mental health problems among youth in schools would be to organize mental health awareness programs for the teachers so they can provide initial assistance to students with mental health problems.
A contributed article by Sunbal Nawaz Lashari
