26th Feb, 2016Prof. Saeed Farooq, a reputed Psychiatrist and Mental Health Researcher delivered a talk on “PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH” at Prime Institute of Public Health (PIPH). The talk was attended by a selected gathering of policy and public health professionals.
Prof. Saeed opened his talk with the evidence based news that “Mental Health Problems are soon going to be second leading cause of disability around the world. They are already the most common cause for consultations in primary care. This shows that the public health impact of serious mental illnesses is comparable to many infectious and chronic physical illnesses that receive significantly more funding for treatment and research from the government.”
Unfolding the gravity of situation, he shared that the prevalence of Severe Mental Illness (SMI) in Low and Middle Income (LAMI) countries was about 4%, as reported in the literature worldwide (Ruggier et al, 2000; NIMH 2013). Dr. Saeed made special mention of Pakistani society in his talk, saying that “Mental health issues have been prevalent more than ever in society and the rise in violence and lack of security has partially contributed to it.”
The learned speaker informed the audience that the longer duration of unrecognized and untreated SMI in LAMI countries makes the problem even more complex and resistant to treat. He stressed the need for strategic public health action on war footing for timely screening and prompt treatment of SMIs to reduce the death, disability and disease associated with them.
The cost of these high impact interventions was much lower than the attendant benefits in terms of active life years saved and heavy contribution towards national health as a result. Given the public health importance of the issue, resolve of the meeting was to continue policy deliberations on the issue and pursue its advocacy with the decision makers.
Dr. Saeed Farooq is a professor at Post-graduate Medical Institute, Peshawar and also serves as visiting professor at Staffordshire University and clinical senior lecturer at Keele University.
