According to the World Health Organisation, “Mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

An absence of these cognitive abilities affects our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act.

This week in our special report, we try to understand and contextualise the mental health issues, the system that we have in place to deal with them and the remedies available. As mental healthcare in Pakistan is still in its infancy, lack of licensed psychologists and licensing bodies poses a daunting challenge to cope with problems arising out of mental disorders. It is unsurprising that stigma is widespread, awareness is at low ebb, and treatment interventions are limited.

Another issue that needs to be addressed is easy availability of drugs that people buy from pharmacies without a professional prescription. It is convenient but alarming.

Mental health is not taken seriously and if someone is diagnosed with a mental disability or ailment there is hardly any support system to help them.

Identifying a disorder and then looking for the right place to seek a remedy is also a challenging task as a mysterious network of faith-healers (aamils) and quacks is at work almost everywhere in Pakistan. TNS tries to highlight the issue, hoping all the stakeholders will come round to playing their roles effectively.