AKUH Signs, Symptoms and Care Programme

Children with mental health problems need help not punishment

“Children suffering from mental health problems need help, not punishment. Such children are often mistakenly seen as disruptive and unruly, and people deal with them from the standpoint of a purely disciplinary issue.” This was stated by Dr Ehsan Ullah Syed, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Department of Psychiatry at Aga Khan University Hospital , Karachi (AKUH,K). He was speaking on the topic of ‘Restless Children and Angry Youth' at a programme organised under AKUH,K's ‘Signs, Symptoms and Care' series on November 14, 2007. The psychological underpinning of such ‘behaviour' is more often than not ignored and children are seen as a nuisance in class or the playground, even at home.

The real issue is that of genuine psychiatric problems caused by interplay of various biological, psychological and social factors. Careful evaluation of such children involves feedback from concerned teachers, sensitised parents and expert assessment from mental health professionals. ‘Angry' youth may only be exhibiting depressive symptoms that require therapy or medication.

Shortage of research on child and adolescent mental health has led to even health professionals frequently lacking awareness regarding various behavioural and psychological issues, though half our population is under 18. Referring specifically to children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder), Dr Syed called attention to the great benefit to be had from timely intervention by the concerned schools and through proper psychological, educational and where needed, medical support.

Dr Murad Moosa Khan, Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry at AKUH,K spoke on “Stressed husbands, unhappy housewives.” Today's fast paced, competitive life is creating enormous stress, and this is leading to a large number of people suffering from depression, anxiety and stress related disorders such as high blood pressure, heart disease, bowel problems and skin conditions. He called for addressing depression and stress at both societal and individual levels. Sufferers use various strategies deal with these conditions, such as alcohol consumption or violent behaviour, which in fact cause further damage. Adverse social conditions such as pollution, over-population and lack of recreational facilities compound these problems.

Social policies need to be just, fair and realistic. Dr Khan advised maintaining a ‘homeostasis', or balance, in different aspects of our lives (such as that between the professional and personal sides), developing an effective support system, exercising regularly and sticking to a healthy diet. Professional help should however be sought when symptoms of psychiatric disorder develop.

As part of its outreach programme and societal commitment of creating awareness of early diagnosis and timely treatment AKUH,K has organised over 250 ‘Signs, Symptoms and Care' programmes in Karachi , Hyderabad , Quetta and the UAE, benefiting more than 50,000 people. AKUH's Patient Welfare Programme provides assistance to those patients who are unable to afford the medical cost of their treatment. 73 per cent of all patients treated at the AKUH are from low- to middle-income groups. Since inception of this welfare programme in 1986, over PKR 1.6 billion has been disbursed to more than 300,000 needy patients.