World's Mental Health Day

As they say about mental health issues "it is a disorder, not a decision" and that is what the society needs to be made aware of. Societies like Pakistan which currently are a victim of numerous social issues also face a major concern regarding mental health which often results in depression and could lead to disastrous outcomes for a human life.

Having a population of 200 million, one out of every three people suffers from this curable disease. In the past couple of years, the number of mentally ill has highly increased. No matter what the reasons for that might be, it exists and something needs to be done to help those who are suffering should be the main focus. The sun rises on the morning of October 10th, observed as the mental health day. In the past years, debates regarding the issue have been held on various international platforms. Shedding the old stigmas, the Pakistani society has grown to discover mental health, taking part in different activities to highlight the importance of the issue.

Efforts have been made by both the students and the state bodies. A similar activity was held by PIMH (Pakistan Institute of Mental Health), an awareness march to mark the worlds mental health day. The walk was headed by the Federal education health minister of Pakistan. Addressing the crowd, he said " treatment facilities for such patients have been improved by the government". Seminars were held in colleges and universities throughout the country on world's mental health day With over 300 million people suffering from anxiety and depression globally, the theme for 2017 draws attention to mental health in workplace. As Maslow's hierarchy of needs state that " motivation is an essential need for proficiency". Also, I believe that the monotony created because of a particular routine gets the best of you. We get so caught up with work and people around us, that we forget to focus on the most crucial part of ourselves – the mind. According to a study a happy staffer is more likely to be engaged, motivated and loyal. Globally, women suffer more from mental illness then men do. Whether it be men or women, the society and the state have a responsibility towards them.

It is unfortunate that in such advanced times, mental health is not covered in medical insurances. Probably because, for us the fight is not just to promote a healthy environment but to overcome the stigma that attributes shame to the victims, instead of empowering them to seek help. Here the people would rather take a sick leave then to openly ask for a mental health leave, and a lot of work needs to be done from this day onwards to bring a change.