From Stigma to Support: Mental Health and Community Engagement in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/trt/FL25.177Keywords:
Digital Mental Health, Stigma, Community Participation, Healthcare Integration, Mental Health PolicyAbstract
Mental health conditions are one of the greatest and increasing national health problems in Pakistan, and access to proper services is also critically low. This review synthesis summarizes the available evidence on psychiatric disorders prevalence, barriers to care in the form of structure and cultural factors, and how community-based interventions can help to close these gaps. The systematic search report was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, medRxiv, and institutional resources, including WHO and national reports, which were published between 2015 and 2025. The results have shown that approximately one-third of adults in Pakistan have a common mental disorder, with women and adolescents being their disproportionate victims. The lack of mental health professionals, low budgetary allocation and fragmented provincial governance are some of the limitations on the delivery of services. The stigma, supernatural explanatory beliefs and gender restrictive norms among the cultural barriers contribute more to discouragement of help seeking. With these obstacles, community-based interventions such as task-shifting to Lady Health Workers, digital mental health, school-based, and interaction with faith leaders show potential results. There is, however, limited evidence on sustainability, scalability, equity and cost-effectiveness. Developing community-based and culturally-sensitive mental health is the first step towards the provision of equitable and sustainable care in Pakistan.
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