“Pakistan is a trauma-exposed society, shaped by Partition, political instability, economic insecurity, terrorism, natural disasters, and chronic stress. These experiences influence how people think, cope, trust, and respond to treatment,” says Irfan Mustafa, Co-founder, Director, and CEO of Taskeen, a mental health initiative.
Pakistan has experienced challenging times since its infancy, but I believe that the last decade has sent the country into a nosedive from one disaster to another. Pakistan experiences ongoing terrorism and internal and external threats that weaken public safety. Rising inflation, unemployment, and national debt are pushing the government to take steps that further economically crush the common man. Political instability is always in the background, with frequent political conflicts, protests, and institutional tensions that add to uncertain times, and recent political changes have taken away individuals’ agency to protest any of the above. Law and order cannot be worse, and justice granted seems to be an anomaly.
Climate change has severely affected the country, causing heat waves, floods, droughts, and water scarcity, thereby intensifying the humanitarian crisis. Energy shortages are a never-ending dilemma, and each city faces its own set of challenges, such as rising crime in Karachi.
The biggest trigger for any human is feeling helpless and a loss of control, and we, as a society at large, are silent witnesses to our slow death. Nothing has changed, and it looks like nothing will change, thrusting most Pakistanis into a slumber of hopelessness and despair and shaping the country’s mental health at large.
The scale of the mental health burden in Pakistan is significant, though often underreported. According to estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 24 million people in Pakistan may need mental health support. Depression and anxiety disorders are among the most common conditions, with some studies suggesting that nearly one in four individuals experiences symptoms of anxiety or depression at some point in their lives, as well as a rise in suicide cases across every age bracket and social class.
The overwhelming pressure influencing everyday life is impacting every individual psychologically, and the cumulative effect is a collective trauma that we as a nation are experiencing. Undoubtedly, there is a growing sense of emotional dysregulation, grief, and hopelessness for the future that is turning many people towards drugs and unhealthy coping skills.
The economic hardship is the biggest crisis, adding to the overwhelm of the common man and causing depression, which is one of the biggest risk factors for suicide. Most people are unable to meet basic needs, which creates chronic stress that slowly impacts mental well-being. This is not simply about poverty; it is about uncertainty.
When individuals feel that their efforts will not lead to stability or progress, a sense of helplessness can emerge. Along with that, throw in poverty, political unrest, and social injustice, and one can very well imagine how it can kill the desire to hope and live. The worst part is that there is no sense of community in Pakistan and no real sense of social support in the form of support groups, free access to mental health services, or any platforms where people can express and share what they are going through, which can be of great help in creating a sense of shared experience.
Political instability further amplifies this distress. The constant climate of uncertainty, evident in variable policies and the public’s growing sense of disempowerment, affects how people perceive the future. When institutions are perceived as unreliable, individuals internalise this unpredictability, leading to anxiety and depression. The absence of trust—both in governance and in broader systems—creates a psychological environment in which fear and scepticism become normalised.
Based in the U.K., the writer is a practising psychotherapist and the published author of a novel. She can be reached at zaramaqbool@yahoo.com.
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