“In the past decade, mental health issues have emerged as an increasingly growing problem in the academia,” says Ms Ambreen Tharani, assistant professor and Mental Health clinical stream head at AKU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM).
“Keeping up with the pace of learning, constant struggle of building and sustaining a sense of belonging at school or university and among peers, overwhelming expectations to excel in a highly competitive academic and job environment, are but just a few issue
An interactive talk facilitated by training consultant Dr Arif Pyarali
s faced by adolescents and young adults worldwide. All these and more put them at an elevated risk of various devastating personality and behavioral issues,” she added.
To mark this day, the School’s Mental Health clinical stream aimed to raise awareness among its nursing and midwifery students about mental health issues the students
"One of the most devastating factors that hinders the treatment of mental illnesses, especially among youth, is the social stigma attached to it"
Ms Ambreen Tharani, Mental Health clinical stream head at SONAM
experience, where and when to seek help, and some healthy stress reduction techniques to practice.
A series of events was held at SONAM starting from Oct 1 until Oct 10, 2018, that included a session facilitated by trainer Dr Arif Pyarli who discussed real-life scenarios and suggested behaviour and responses that least affect our mental wellbeing; interactive talks on stress reduction techniques facilitated by experts from Karwan-e-Hayat (KeH) Drs Zafar Haider, Yasirah Gohar and Nasir Mehmood; talk on mental wellbeing by Dr Ayesha Mian, chair of AKU's department of psychiatry; and creative expression therapies including an art therapy session in which SONAM students and patients from the psychiatry departments of the Aga Khan University Hospital and KeH participated as well as a drumming session with Mohsin Kazi.
The faculty believes that the benefits of creative expression therapies are immense in processing emotions, trauma and distress. “Playing percussion instruments or doing any other form of art gives people a way to express themselves and is one the best and most effective self-care coping strategies,” says Ms Tharani.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 24 million people need psychiatric assistance in Pakistan, while mental disorders remain over 4% of the total disease burden. Data also suggests that Pakistan is one of the weakest countries in responding to mental health challenges across the globe as it reports to having merely
0.31 psychiatrists against 100,000 citizens.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of this 10-day event, the mental health faculty also noted, “We see a huge gap between mental healthcare needs and the resources available in Pakistan in terms of trained mental healthcare professionals; quality of the available care is another concern.
However, one of the most devastating factors that hinders the treatment of mental illnesses, especially among youth, is the social stigma attached to it, which either restrict the sufferer to seek help or they are shunned by their friends and family in the first place”.
The School’s specialised clinical stream is working to strengthen the mental health support system at SONAM, where students and faculty members alike will be trained on self-help techniques for coping with day-to-day stressors as well as access to mental health resources will be made easier.
