New insights into mental health problems in Pakistan

May 21 2009

The University of Leicester is leading the way in a mental health study of children in Pakistan.

The doctoral research project is being carried out in collaboration with Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) Karachi, Pakistan - and is the first of its kind in the country.

University of Leicester postgraduate researcher Sajida Abdul Hussein , a Clinical psychologist at the Greenwood Institute of Child Health, will present her research at a gathering of professionals and peers.

Her study, Socio-demographic determinants of child mental health problems in Karachi, Pakistan will be showcased at the Festival of Postgraduate Research which is taking place on Thursday 25th June in the Belvoir Suite, Charles Wilson Building at the University of Leicester between 11.30am and 1pm.

Ms. Hussein said the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) project report highlights how poverty hits children the hardest. It is also most threatening to children's rights of survival, education, health, nutrition and can expose children to exploitation.

She said: "There is minimal knowledge of the mental health of children in Pakistan and virtually no professional help available for troubled children in this population.

"This exploratory study highlights the importance of socio-economic determinants of child mental health problems and points out the necessity of planning and establishing service networks to meet children's mental health needs in Pakistan”.

"There is also an urgent need to train teachers to be able to identify child mental health issues, apply school-based management techniques, and make appropriate and timely referrals of children with more complex disorders to the sparse specialist services."