Inam-ur-Rehman
Lecturer
Department of Psychology
DHA Suffa University
Mental health has become a serious but often ignored issue in Pakistan. We have no problem talking about physical diseases, but talking about mental health still considered a taboo often leading to stigma and delayed help seeking.24 million people in Pakistan are struggling with different mental health issues like depression, anxiety, stress, substance abuse, and other mental health issues but they do not seek professional help may be due to stigma, lack of awareness, and accessibility, and the cost of the treatment. There can be no health without mental health, and mental health is an essential aspect of our well-being that needs to be addressed with the same level of importance as physical health.
According to the 2023 Census, Pakistan’s population is estimated to be 241.5 million people. Of this number, a significant proportion of Pakistan’s population is comprised of children and young adults for whom mental health services are essential. The National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of Pakistan interviewed over 17,000 adults across the four provinces of Pakistan and found that 32% of respondents experienced a mental disorder at the time of the survey while 38% experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives. In addition, it was found that women experienced higher levels of mental health issues than men at 33.46% compared to 31.07%.
Despite the high demand for mental health services, there is an acute shortage of mental health professionals in Pakistan. According to the 2023 assessment of the country’s mental health status based on the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Assessment Instrument for Surveys (WHO-AIMS), Pakistan only has around 564 psychiatrists and 3,000 clinical psychologists. This means that there is only 0.24% of psychiatrists and 1.30% of clinical psychologists for every 100,000 people. The assessment also found that there are only 200 mental health nurses and 600 social workers. Moreover, about 51% of psychiatrists are employed in private practice. Thus, those who cannot afford private mental health services or those who live far from major cities do not have access to them. Many psychiatrists or clinical psychologists are concentrated in major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, or Islamabad. Most mental health positions in the district level remain vacant, leaving small cities and rural areas without proper mental health services.
The above mentioned data demonstrates that simply increasing the numbers of mental health professionals is not sufficient. While someone who lives in a major city can relatively easily visit a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist, while a person in a rural area may have to go through significant trouble to receive similar services. Pakistan needs to provide mental health services, which are affordable, accessible, and closer to home. The gap between the demand and the current supply of mental health services is increased by the lack of psychiatric services at the primary care level, stigma, and poverty. As a result, mental health issues often go unaddressed until they become serious problems.
Therefore, Pakistan must needs from the hospitalcentered approach to a communitybased mental health care system. Screening of mental health issues and basic support should be integrated into primary health care. District hospitals should be equipped with psychiatric teams which include psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and social workers. School and university counseling services should also be developed since almost a quarter of Pakistan’s population consists of children and teenagers. Pakistan must also invest in postgraduate training programs for psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and rehabilitation specialists. Telepsychiatry and telepsychology should be used to ensure the availability of mental health care for people who live in remote areas. A national mental health workforce registry should be established to track all the qualified professionals and assign them to help communities in need. Mental health services need to be prioritized in order to secure adequate funding. Psychiatric consultations, psycho-therapeutic sessions, hospitalization, and rehabilitation programs should be covered by insurance. Further, Pakistan must also create a national strategy for suicide prevention, because Pakistan’s estimated annual suicide mortality rate is approximately 5.6% per 100,000 population (World Bank, 2025). All the abovementioned measures should become an integral part of Pakistan’s national health strategy.
The mental health issue in Pakistan is affecting individuals, families, workplaces, andthe country’s overall prosperity. The problem cannot be properly addressed if we continue to ignore it. The healthcare system in Pakistan is in dire need of mental health professionals, affordable and accessible services, research, and increased funding. Pakistan’s mental health issues are strongly correlated with the country’s social and economic development. Encouraging investment into the treatment and improvement of the mental health of Pakistani citizens will result in better quality of life and productivity on both an individual and national level.
