F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s mental health statistics were not satisfactory due to the government low budgeting and less priority subject but now due to the coronavius lockdown not only mental health diseases increased across the country but as well cases of domestic violence, torture and suicidal thoughts are also reported across the country this was told by mental health therapist Rabia Khan in an exclusive interview with The Frontier Post on Tuesday.
She told this scribe that due to the structural changes in families not only cases of anxieties and depression surged in the country but as well people are hopeless of their future both of health and economic, adding that now all family members including parents and children are limited to home that is the basic reason of all these mental health issues because they don’t know how to adjust in the new structural change changed due to this lockdown.
On a question regarding coping from this new environment she added that first step to accept that this is a pandemic and this have both positive and negative impacts on human health that’s why acceptance is first priority to relax yourself adding that if you are hopeless and become a prisoner of your own thoughts then this lockdown will increase your mental health issues but if you accept this environment then you can cope effectively from this scenario.
Commenting on daily food chart she added that when people are in anxiety or depressed they always prefer unhealthy eating stuff like crispy and spicy food items as well eating Ice-cream which ruined your immune system which will further create more problems both in digestion and mental health.
She further added that sensationalism both on social and mainstream media are breading grounds for the increase of mental health issues because when we watch news channels we always depress from deaths occurring due to the covid-19 but we never focus on recovery of people infected from the virus so I will suggest to be updated from the arena around the world but also visit credible outlets for updates. Commenting on how to turn the lockdown into achieving some novel and the videos promoting on social media she added that currently some videos are viral on social media of some masses that they have achieved a lot in this lockdown environment which turn the other masses in hopeless cage so I will prefer don’t focus on these stuffs and don’t attached fake anticipation from yourself and always focus on those assignments and work which reduce yours anxieties and you feel relax.
Rabia Khan the mental health expert added that some myths and speculations are attached with pandemic e.g that we are responsible for this pandemic because we are not that much faithful while practicing religion and this is also a major reason for the increase of mental health issues best option is that if you are relax in praying go for praying and if you are depress then do little bit meditation for relaxing of mental health.
She suggested that don’t go into competition in this stressed environment and don’t attach extra expectation from yourself and do work till the acceptance of mind. Biography of the expert: Rabia Khan is a mental health expert based in Islamabad and having more than 12 years experience in mental health therapies and counseling. She also worked with national and international organization on mental health issues in volatile merged districts of the erstwhile FATA.
