World Mental Health Day is being observed across the world today. Unfortunately in Pakistan, our society still considers addressing mental health as a taboo.
Often referred to as a mental state or condition, mental health is a pattern that affects how we think, feel, and act. Inshort, such a state is an important issue that affects people all over the world, regardless of their culture or background. However, in most parts of Pakistan, mental health is still considered a taboo topic.
Mental health is often stigmatized and misunderstood in our country, leading to a lack of awareness, support, and treatment options for those needing it. Just like physical health, mental health should also be prioritized as in the long term, it provides you with strength, resilience, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances of life.
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If we talk about its root cause; mental health is considered taboo mainly because of the factors contributing to the stigma surrounding it and one of them is the lack of education and awareness about such disorders.
Unfortunately, many people in our society associate mental health issues with a person’s spiritual belief in religion; if he’s less religious, he will likely develop mental health issues rather than those who pray five times a day.
This is one of the reasons why many of us do not understand the symptoms or causes of mental illnesses and often view them as personal weaknesses or character flaws.
To address such important stigma surrounding mental health in Pakistan, we need to increase awareness and education about mental health disorders and talk more openly about this to the public through public campaigns, media, and education programs in schools and workplaces across the country.
