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Problems related to Psychologists and Mental health care

practitioners in Pakistan.
By Hafsa Habib, PhD scholar at Psychology Department university of
Peshawar, from the forum Voice of Psychologists.
hafsaway@yahoo.com
Introduction:
It had been reported by Hayat yousufzai that,” Due to increased number
of traumas being experienced by Pakistani people, as many
psychologists strongly said there was a dire need to establish
Psychological First Aid or Psychological Emergency Services in whole
Pakistan, which would respond to emergency situations. He had also
sent many proposals in this regard had been submitted to the government
of khyber paktoonkhwan and also tries his best by send to Government
of Pakistan.
It has been also reported that the most common psychological/mental
disorders in Pakistan include:

1. Anxiety Disorders.
2. Mood Disorders.
3. Psychotic & Neurotic Disorders.
4. Eating Disorders.
5. Drug Addiction Disorders.
6. Learning disabilities and disorders.
7. Personality disorders.
8. Marital Life psychological problems.
Mr Kabir Ahmad also reported mental health sectors problem regarding
psychiatrist in that some Pakistani doctors could find little to celebrate
about when it came to talking about health in the country the cost-
effective treatments exist for these disorders, Pakistan does not have a
critical mass of trained mental-health professionals, such as
psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and paramedics to deal with them.
There are only 250 psychiatrists for a large population of 160 million,
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but less than half of them have proper postgraduate qualifications in

psychiatry (September 2007).
“Psychiatry is not a certifying examination in the medical schools, with
the result that generations of Pakistani physicians have gone through
medical training with little or no exposure to mental-health issues”,
according to Khan.
“Over the last 60 years we have failed to establish a proper health
system. All health initiatives including those addressing mental health
needs are undermined by massive corruption, poor governance, and
gross mismanagement”, says Murad Moosa Khan of the Aga Khan
University, Karachi, Pakistan
Solutions for Such disorders are dealing just by psychotherapies and by
psychiatric medication, but the most important issues regarding the
mental health sector is that it faces so many challenges and problems
that psychologist and mental health practitioner regarding their rights
and for to practice their skills in best and effective way.
Some very crucial and important steps we want to raising from the plate
forum of Voice of psychologist and want to demand from the
government , semi government and private sectors that must have put
their part by highlighting and control some issues with some logistic step
for the betterment in the field of psychology.
The followings are the problems faced by psychologist and mental
health practitioners in the field of psychology:

1. Volunteer interne issues: In hospital setup the internees are working

voluntarily without salary or stipend..The interns need to be paid by the
organization.

2. Job specification of Psychologist and psychiatrists: Need to be set

the psychiatrist and psychologist area of treatment and license to
evaluate on the bases of skill and qualification. So that psychiatrist and
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psychologist mental health treatment will perform their duties on the

bases of their expertise.
3. Visiting faculty’s rights by HEC or Government: Need to establish
visiting faculty’s rights by HEC or Government and work on their issues
regarding salary packages according to their qualification and time
bound salary with review on issue of equal and Experience certificate.
4. Promotions and grads of psychologist: Proper need of promotions
and grads of psychologist at mental health hospitals, centers.
5. Mental Retardation drug addicts Asylums and centers:
Government should have to establish Mental Retardation drug addicts
Asylums and centers with psychologist psychiatrist and health care
practitioners work together and Health care facilities must be available
there.
6. Psychopharmacological therapy & drug therapy practice with
training in psychology:
Psychopharmacology, drug therapy, its practice and training, conditions
and treatment awareness of drug effects , sign symptoms of Neurotic and
psychotic drug treatment requirements need to be teach as compulsory
subject to psychologist for that it benefits the mental health care with
best outcome to the field of psychotherapies and counseling.
7. Award by Doctor of Psychological therapy DPT and doctor of
counseling therapy DCT: Psychologist/counselors have to be award by
Doctor of Psychological therapy DPT and doctor of counseling therapy
DCT who have six year degree in the field of psychology as degree
allocated to DPT (doctor of physical therapy).
8. Marriage counseling units to control divorce rate and Post
marital issues: Marriage counseling units must be open with law
enforces institution for the counseling of couple before and after marital
issues and awareness for best marital life as divorce rate become so high
in few years.
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9. Psychologist with different specialties and skills: The most

important step is the need of different psychologist with different
specialties and skills, for this they easily practice the need with some
effective interventions and developments with some positive add up in it
as the field of psychology facing so many crises and lack of facilitation
from government and private sector to grow in different field.
10. Practice of Certified Psychiatry: Psychiatry is not a certifying
examination and not proper training institutes in the medical schools in
Pakistan so with the result that generation of Pakistani psychiatrist have
gone through medical training with little or no exposure to mental-health
issues.
11. Psychological First Aid or Psychological Emergency Services:
Need to establish Psychological First Aid or Psychological Emergency
Services in whole Pakistan, which would respond to emergency
situations.
Conclusion:
There is need of some drastic steps to get for the development and
growth in the mental health sector related to psychology. Although they
are so many but the mentioned issues in this article are the mostly
common in Pakistan .The reason to high light the problems were mostly
to bring change and to enlist the drastic issues which must have to be
resolve and address through social campaign or from any social
psychological decorum.
Limitation:
This article must be considered just apply to the field of psychology,
Psychiatry & counseling in Pakistan and will not apply to the problems
in other countries.
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Reference:
1. K.Ahmad, “shortage of psychiatrist a problem in Pakistan”, Artical
valum 370,issue 9590’P817818,September 2007
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607
61397X/fulltext
2. H.A. Yousefzai , Psychological problems in Pakistan. Health
article February 2017, Karachi
https://www.dawn.com/news/1097404