Patients’ Aid Foundation On Why Mental Health Matters
How many of us, when struggling with our mental health, feel comfortable seeking help from a psychiatrist or psychologist? Not many. Why? Stigma. Social taboos. Stereotypes. The fear of, “What will people say?”
In Pakistan, more than 50 million people experience mental health problems, yet many do not seek medical attention because of societal pressure. (Source: British Asian Trust)
Mental health does not discriminate by gender or age. It is a serious issue that affects countless lives, yet remains one we often hesitate to talk about. It is time we change that. Patients’ Aid Foundation believes in equality, advocacy, and access to quality medical care.
This Mental Health Day, Patients’ Aid Foundation wants to say to every person who has taken that first step: we see you, we hear you, and we are proud of you. Seeking help is not easy, and it is never a small thing. You are not alone. The doors of Jinnah Hospital will always remain open to those who need care, support, and hope.
Why Should Mental Health Be Discussed?
Mental health is an increasingly important concern in Pakistan. It is estimated that around one in four people may experience mental health difficulties during their lifetime. Yet stigma, limited awareness, and a shortage of mental health professionals mean that many people do not seek or receive the support they need. (British Asian Trust)
The challenges have become even more significant following the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating floods, economic pressures, unemployment, inflation, displacement, and other social and environmental difficulties.
While Pakistan continues to face a significant mental health challenge, there are also institutions working to make mental healthcare more accessible to the communities that need it.
Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, is one such example of the growing focus on mental healthcare in Pakistan. Patients’ Aid Foundation established the Rashid Soorty Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at JPMC to provide dedicated psychiatric care, including assessment, treatment, and medication.
JPMC further strengthened its mental health infrastructure with the inauguration of a 120-bed Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, including a 35-bed inpatient unit serving children, women, and men. This expansion marks an important step towards improving access to mental healthcare and ensuring that mental health is recognised as an essential and integral part of overall healthcare.
Through these initiatives, JPMC and Patients’ Aid Foundation are helping to make quality mental healthcare more accessible to those who need it, while promoting greater awareness, understanding, and acceptance of mental health as a vital component of well-being.
You can support the Patients’ Aid initiative by generous donations, click here to learn more about it.
What Causes Mental Health Problems?
Mental health problems rarely have a single cause. They can develop through a combination of personal experiences, family circumstances, social pressures, financial difficulties, trauma, environmental factors, and biological or genetic vulnerability.
Different stages of life also bring different pressures. What affects a child may be very different from what affects an adult man or woman, while some factors, such as family history and genetics, can influence a person throughout their life.
Common Causes of Mental Health Problems in Different Groups
| Group | Common Factors That May Affect Mental Health |
| Children and adolescents | Academic pressure, difficulty coping with studies, examination stress, low confidence, bullying, friendship problems, parental expectations, family conflict, problems at home, lack of emotional support |
| Young adults | Education and career pressure, uncertainty about the future, unemployment, relationship difficulties, financial concerns, social expectations, loneliness and identity-related challenges |
| Adult men | Bread-and-butter concerns, inflation, unemployment, job insecurity, financial responsibilities, family pressure, marital problems, relationship difficulties and expectations around providing for the family |
| Adult women | Marital problems, career pressures, harassment, discrimination, trauma, domestic difficulties, caregiving responsibilities, financial dependence and other sensitive personal or social issues |
| Families | Family conflict, communication problems, separation or divorce, parenting difficulties, domestic violence, lack of emotional support and intergenerational conflict |
| Society and community | Mental health stigma, lack of awareness, poverty, unemployment, social isolation, discrimination, violence and limited access to mental health services |
The Role of Genetics and Family History in Mental Health
While social and environmental circumstances can have a major influence on mental health, there is another factor that should not be overlooked: genetics and family history.
Some mental health conditions tend to run in families. This does not mean that a person will automatically develop the same condition as a parent or relative. Instead, certain genetic factors may increase a person’s vulnerability or susceptibility to developing a mental health condition.
Genes also interact with a person’s environment and life experiences. This means that mental health is often the result of a complex interaction between genetics, biology, upbringing, experiences, relationships and the environment.
Which Mental Health Conditions Have a Genetic Component?
There is no mental health condition that can simply be described as being caused by one “mental health gene.” Most psychiatric conditions involve many genes interacting with each other and with environmental factors.
Some conditions with recognised genetic or heritable components include:
- Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar disorder has a substantial genetic component. Having a close family member with bipolar disorder can increase a person’s risk, although genetics alone does not determine whether someone will develop the condition.
- Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia has one of the stronger known genetic components among psychiatric disorders. However, genetic vulnerability interacts with developmental, biological and environmental factors.
- Depression: Major depressive disorder can run in families. Genetics may increase vulnerability, but stressful life experiences, relationships, physical health and environmental circumstances can also play important roles.
- Anxiety Disorders: Conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder can have a genetic component. A person’s inherited vulnerability may interact with stressful experiences and their environment.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: OCD can also have a hereditary component. Both genetic and environmental factors may contribute to the development of the disorder.
- ADHD: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered highly heritable. Genetics play an important role, although development and environmental factors also contribute.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder: Autism has a strong genetic contribution and involves complex interactions between numerous genetic and developmental factors.
- Eating Disorders: Conditions such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can involve genetic, biological, psychological and environmental influences.
- Substance-Use Disorders: Genetic factors can influence a person’s vulnerability to developing substance-use disorders. However, social environment, exposure, trauma, stress and other circumstances also play important roles.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: PTSD develops following exposure to trauma, so genetics do not cause PTSD on their own. However, genetic differences may influence how vulnerable a person is to developing PTSD after a traumatic experience.
Genetics Do Not Determine a Person’s Mental Health
A family history of mental illness does not mean someone will develop a mental health condition, just as mental health problems can occur without any family history.
Mental health is shaped by genetics, life experiences, and environment. Understanding this helps reduce blame and stigma. Mental health conditions are not a weakness or character flaw, they deserve understanding, early recognition, and support.
YOUR MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS TO PATIENTS’ AID-jpmc
World Mental Health Day is more than a day of awareness, it is an invitation to start a conversation.
On this Mental Health Day, Patients’ Aid Foundation welcomes everyone to be part of a more understanding, compassionate and mentally healthy Pakistan.
Whether you are a student struggling with academic pressure, a parent worried about your child, a professional facing burnout, someone coping with family or financial difficulties, or simply someone who wants to understand mental health better, you are not alone, and your mental wellbeing matters.
Mental health deserves the same attention, care and dignity as physical health. Let us use this day to listen without judgement, speak without shame, recognise the signs of emotional distress, and encourage people to seek help when they need it.
This Mental Health Day, share this blog with friends and family and let us move from silence to conversation, from stigma to understanding, and from awareness to action.
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