ISLAMABAD: The Covid-19 pandemic has affected people’s mental health, and awareness should be raised about mental health issues, the head of psychiatry at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has said.

In a statement issued in connection with World Mental Health Day, observed on Oct 10, Dr Rizwan Taj said that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the lives of ordinary people because of economic factors, social isolation, bereavement, anxiety and depression. This has an overall effect on productivity, he added, which is vital for the country at this time.

He said the day gives stakeholders who work on the subject of mental health the opportunity to discuss their work and what needs to be done to make mental healthcare a reality for people around the world.

Dr Taj said that suicide is the 15th leading cause of death globally. Around 11 people, per 100,000, commit suicide every year. Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in people who die by suicide.

Relatives and close friends of people who have died by suicide are a high-risk group for suicide, he added, because of the psychological trauma of a suicide loss, the potential shared familial and environmental risk and the burden of stigma associated with this loss.

He said suicide is a major public health issue in Pakistan, where 1.4 per 100,000 die by suicide.

“This is due to our culture as suicide is prohibited in Islam, social stigma and legal issues, being a criminal offence. Further that national rates of suicide are not compiled and there is under reporting. Suicide ratio in male is 2:1 and mostly by singles. In females who are under 30 and have domestic issues do commit suicide,” Dr Taj said.

Other causes include unemployment, poverty, homelessness, family issues, depression and social pressure.

“In Pims, on average we receive five cases of suicide daily and they come with intake of rat [poison], drug overdose and mostly young females with age range between 20 to 30 years reports,” he said.

A multi-sectoral approach is needed to prevent suicide, including screening at the primary care level and community mental health programmes.

There is a strong need to restriction on availability of substances to be used and school based mental health programmes. There should be awareness programs on media on crises management, self esteem enhancement, and development of social skills,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2020