Psychiatric assistance issues discussed on world mental health day at JPMC

KARACHI: In conjunction with World Mental Health Day, the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center Psychiatry Department hosted a lecture to explore stigma, misconceptions, lack of understanding, poor socioeconomic position, cultural prejudices, and other resource shortages within the mental health system.

In modern culture, there is rising awareness and concern for mental health. Professor Amjad Siraj Memon, vice chancellor of JSMU and a professor of psychiatry, said that to promote mental health and decrease the stigma, we must listen to and address mental health issues before they escalate.

Prof Amjad Siraj Memon praised Senator Dr Karim Ahmed Khwaja, Chairman of Sindh Mental Health Authority, Executive Director JPMC Shahid Rasul, and Chairman Faculty of Psychiatry JSMU Professor Iqbal Afridi Khan for organizing support for mental health issues.

Dr Chooni Lal Kataria, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at JSMU and Chief of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at JPMC, estimates that more than 35 per cent of the population of Pakistan needs psychiatric care. In addition, he mentioned the necessity to incentivize practitioners and regulate telepsychiatry services for remote places.

Saad Qudusi, a research associate at the Aga Khan University Hospital, presented the South Asia Self Harm Initiative (SASHI) to new patients with suicidal ideation and self-harm.