By Sajid Anwar Wardak
Pakistan is facing a mental-health crisis that remains largely invisible in public policy, healthcare priorities and everyday social conversations. While economic hardship, unemployment, family pressures and uncertainty continue to affect millions of people, the psychological consequences often remain unrecognised, untreated or dismissed as personal weakness. The findings of the country’s first nationally representative mental-health survey suggest that the scale of this crisis is far greater than previously understood.
Published in BMJ Public Health in September 2026, the national survey interviewed 17,773 adults across Pakistan between 2019 and 2022. It found that 32.3 per cent of adults were experiencing a diagnosable mental or behavioural disorder, while 37.9 per cent had experienced such a disorder during their lifetime. In other words, approximately one in three adults was affected at the time of the survey, and nearly two in five had faced a disorder at some point in their lives. These findings provide the strongest nationally representative evidence yet of the country’s mental-health burden.
The survey also revealed that 19.9 per cent of participants met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, while 10.6 per cent experienced depressive disorders. Approximately six per cent reported suicidal thoughts or related behaviour during the preceding month, as measured by the study. These figures are not merely clinical statistics; they represent people whose family relationships, education, employment and daily lives may be seriously affected by psychological distress.
The crisis is compounded by deep-rooted social attitudes. Mental-health difficulties are frequently met with stigma, denial or pressure to remain silent. People experiencing depression or anxiety may be told to show greater willpower, while those seeking professional help can fear being judged by their families or communities. Such attitudes can delay diagnosis and treatment, turning manageable conditions into prolonged personal and social hardships.
Economic and social inequalities further intensify the challenge. The national survey found higher rates of mental disorders among women, older adults, people with no formal education, those with lower incomes and individuals who were unemployed, retired, widowed, divorced or separated. These associations underline the importance of addressing mental health alongside employment, education, social protection and access to healthcare.
Despite the scale of the problem, access to specialised treatment remains limited. The research paper estimates that Pakistan has approximately 470 psychiatrists, equivalent to 0.19 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, with specialists concentrated largely in urban centres. The study also notes that mental-health spending accounts for less than 0.5 per cent of the total healthcare budget. For people living in remote districts and underserved communities, professional support may be difficult to access or financially unaffordable.
Addressing this challenge requires more than awareness campaigns. Mental-health services must be integrated into primary healthcare, frontline health workers trained to identify common disorders, and affordable counselling and referral systems made available beyond major cities. Educational institutions and workplaces also need mechanisms for early identification and appropriate support. Equally important is a sustained public campaign to replace stigma with understanding and to encourage people to seek professional help without fear or shame.
The national survey has finally provided Pakistan with the evidence needed to move beyond fragmented estimates and acknowledge the true scale of the problem. The next challenge is to translate these findings into adequate funding, accessible services and measurable policy action. Mental health cannot remain a secondary concern in a country where millions may be struggling in silence. If one in three adults is affected, can Pakistan afford to treat mental health as anything less than a national public-health priority?
