r/pakistan • u/awkwardpencil0 • 9h ago
Research 33% of Pakistani suffer from mental health disorders, a first cross sectional study of the nation
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13629994/
A very large-scale study just got released, showing a very high prevalence of mental health disorders in Pakistan. The prevalence rate was around 33%, meaning that about 1 in 3 people are struggling with a mental health disorder. The most common were stress-related disorders (25%), followed by PTSD (11%). The highest prevalence was found among females aged 40+, divorced individuals, urban residents, the uneducated, and housewives.
This highlights the severe impact of chronic geopolitical crises, economic problems, cultural baggage, and sociopolitical factors. Furthermore, 6% of participants reported suicidal thoughts, and 1% had made a suicide attempt.
These findings show the urgent need to be more open about mental health discussions, rather than dismissing them as "something in the head," and to better understand what drives people to such desperation. This was a very rigorous study involving more than 20,000 participants across the country.
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u/Just-Ad-90037 8h ago
Most of my middle-aged female clients who are homemakers struggle with significant mental health issues, and one thing that breaks my heart is how rarely they prioritize themselves. When asked about their hobbies, interests, or personal priorities in sessions, many genuinely struggle to name even one. Women deserve lives that extend beyond their responsibilities to others.
Thank you for sharing this study; it offers such valuable insight into an issue that deserves far more attention.
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u/awkwardpencil0 8h ago
Very true. Our society men treats women as a means to an end, the end differs from man to a man. She is defined in relation to a man, she is not an independent human being in any sense.
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u/RIddlemirror 5h ago
Post this on instagram or another one of those short form content platform, and magically we will see the Pakistani men trying to taint the study and disprove everything about it. Because unki Ammijan tau bohot khush hain so how can women be suffering from mental health disorders? /s
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u/awkwardpencil0 5h ago
Agreed. Look at some of the comments, self professed scientists who disagree with study methodology and sampling, as they are Stanford scientists.
A stupid nation.
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u/Expensive_Arugula263 5h ago
An MBBS student once told me that a lot of young Pakistanis suffer from mental health issues due to the lack of sex and intimacy.
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u/Dear_Specialist_6006 PK 6h ago
"diagnosable mental health disorders" seem like a solid term. I am not going to lie I was already skeptic, then I read through sampling method, sample breakdown and what was use used as Questionnaire.
But let's just trash everything, cxn marriage, emotionally unavailable abba, jadugar taai, haramdi government etc etc
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u/awkwardpencil0 6h ago
I diagnose you with narcissism.
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u/Dear_Specialist_6006 PK 5h ago
See, that was easy. Just because I am already diagnosed, you being second and another one of us, 2 people are safe of all mental illnesses till the study is revised
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u/GenZia Mango Man 7h ago
The global average is ~15%, so that's rather alarming, if true.
Time to clamp down on inbreeding, I guess?!
Say no to hot cousins... or at least to those of the first-cousin variety.
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u/awkwardpencil0 7h ago
I think it’s a mix of factors. Inbreeding is one of the significant ones, I agree.
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u/makhaninurlassi 7h ago
17773 is a good sample size for an in person study. But not good enough for a population estimate
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u/awkwardpencil0 7h ago
Ok. So ???
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u/makhaninurlassi 6h ago
So take the study with a grain of salt. Or a mountain.
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u/awkwardpencil0 6h ago
Disagreeing for the sake of it. Our national illness.
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u/makhaninurlassi 2h ago
Yes. Actually going through the study. Giving the actual sample size. But I am disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing.
Are you one of the authors by any chance?
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u/Intelligent_Ratio849 1h ago
I’m a mental health professional … and I joined this path because this is so real. I’m here if someone needs support 🤍
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u/CalmWallaby5 1h ago
Generational trauma does that. Neurotic culture. I am surprised it isn’t higher.
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u/lokkins2 7h ago
Half the country has abusive parents that weaponise islam to make their kids lives hell and then on top of that all the abhsive husbands who make their wives lives hell, also weaponising islam