People in need of online psycho-social counselling facilities.

KARACHI -- Stakeholders responding to conclusion drawn through an extensive survey undertaken by Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) have sought easy public accessibility to online psycho-social counseling facilities in the province.

Psychologists, psychiatrists, legal experts, police personnel, sociologists and human rights activists actively participating in a session, that coincided with launching of SHRC's 5th Annual Report for 2018-2019, said it was high time to adopt a holistic approach towards health itself - encompassing mental, physical, emotional and social well being of the masses.

It was also emphasized that mental health emerging as a major challenge across the country, often manifested in form of depression, anxiety, suicide demanded urgent measures to provide efficient interventions - particularly counselling facilities in all parts of the country.

Impression was also attempted to be shun by few that suicide or other implications of psychological conditions could be due to poverty or dearth of resources.

"Surge in instances of suicide among youth is also due to high level of expectation from them," said one of the activist reminding that brilliantly good students resorted to take their lives as their brilliance emerged to be a source of high anxiety for them coupled with fear that they may not meet expectations of their parents or people around.

Police Surgeon, Dr. Qarar Abbas emphasized that the increasing rate of suicide in the province was a harsh fact and that many of the instances of self poisoning are falsely declared to be accidental.

On the occasion a seminar "Increasing Incidence Of Suicides In Thar," was also arranged with Sindh Minister for Women Development, Syeda Shahla Raza as the chief guest and senior psychiatrist, Dr. Syed Haroon Ahmed (Pakistan Association of Mental Health), Karamat Ali (Commission for Public Safety and Policing

Commission), Anis Haroon (former member National Commission for Human Rights) and Justice (R) Shah Nawaz Tariq (Ombudsman for the Commission Against Harassment at the Workplace) among the panelists.

The Chairperson of SHRC, Justice (R) Majida Rizvi highlighting relevance of the seminar said the commission visited Thar, the district considered to be the most vulnerable with respect to suicides, in November last year.

"To understand the situation better, the commission met with the locals including civil...

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