One in Three Pakistani Adults Lives With a Mental Disorder, First National Survey Finds
The Pakistan mental health survey, the country’s first nationally representative study of its kind, has found that nearly one in three adults is living with a diagnosable mental and behavioural disorder, a major public health challenge affecting millions of people.
The findings come from the largest mental health study ever conducted in Pakistan, according to researchers representing the Pakistan Psychiatric Society. The five-year research has been published in the British Medical Journal.
The survey was led by Professor Raza-ur-Rahman from Hamdard University, Karachi, in collaboration with Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the United Kingdom, the University of South Florida in the United States, and psychiatric institutions across Pakistan.
What the Pakistan mental health survey found
Nearly 18,000 adults from all four provinces took part in the study, which ran from 2018 to 2022. It provides the first nationally representative picture of mental health in the country.
The study found that 32 per cent of adults were currently living with mental and behavioural disorders, while 38 per cent had experienced a disorder at some point in their lives.
One in five adults met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. More than one in 10 had depression, and six per cent reported suicidal thoughts in the previous month.
Researchers also found significant social inequalities in mental health. Higher rates of mental disorders appeared among older adults, people with lower levels of education and income, the unemployed, and those who were widowed, divorced or separated.
Mental health problems were linked to substantial impairment in family life, social relationships and the ability to work.
Why the findings matter for Pakistan
“This survey provides the evidence needed to develop effective mental health policies and services in Pakistan. It identifies who is most at risk, where support is most needed, and the scale of the unmet need for care,” said lead investigator Prof Raza-ur-Rahman, who heads the psychiatry department at Hamdard University.
He said the researchers used international standard tools, while the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics identified the survey areas and provided the sample size.
The results land in a country where mental health services remain thinly stretched. Our earlier reporting on bankers’ mental health in Pakistan documented stress and burnout in one of the country’s most demanding professions. At the same time, Punjab has approved Rs45.13 billion for three health projects, though mental health remains a small share of such spending.
Prof Anjum Memon, Chair in Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and the study’s senior co-author, called it a landmark moment. “For decades, policymakers have had to rely on fragmented local studies or international estimates. We now have robust national evidence showing, for the first time, the true scale of mental and behavioural disorders across the country.”
What researchers recommend
The researchers recommend greater integration of mental health services into primary healthcare, investment in community-based support, better training for frontline health workers, and sustained national efforts to reduce stigma.
“Pakistan currently faces major challenges in the provision of mental healthcare, including limited specialist services and a shortage of trained professionals,” said Prof Wajid Akhundzada, president of the Pakistan Psychiatric Society.
Experts have termed the findings the most reliable national data available. For the millions living with anxiety, depression and trauma, the hope is that the numbers now force the issue onto the policy agenda. Readers can find practical guidance on anxiety in our health section, while poor nutrition remains another silent strain, with the FAO warning that over 60 per cent of Pakistanis cannot afford a healthy diet.
*Source: Dawn*
What did the Pakistan mental health survey find?
The first nationally representative survey found 32 per cent of adults currently living with a mental and behavioural disorder and 38 per cent affected at some point in their lives. One in five adults met PTSD criteria, more than one in 10 had depression, and six per cent reported suicidal thoughts in the previous month.
Who conducted the mental health survey in Pakistan?
The five-year study was led by Prof Raza-ur-Rahman of Hamdard University, Karachi, with the Pakistan Psychiatric Society, Brighton and Sussex Medical School (UK), the University of South Florida (US) and psychiatric institutions across Pakistan. It covered nearly 18,000 adults from all four provinces between 2018 and 2022 and was published in the British Medical Journal.
What do researchers recommend for Pakistan’s mental health?
They recommend integrating mental health into primary healthcare, investing in community-based support, training frontline health workers, and sustained national efforts to reduce stigma around mental illness.
