Citation

Khan RQ, Khan AM. BJPsych Int. 2021; 18(4): 94-96.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Royal College of Psychiatrists)

DOI

10.1192/bji.2020.30

PMID

34747943

PMCID

PMC8554968

Abstract

The Mental Health Ordinance 2001 was the last comprehensive legislation on mental health policy in Pakistan, replacing the Lunacy Act 1912. Since then, most of the amendments to the act have only delineated the jurisdiction of the provincial governments. Failure to account for mental illness in Pakistan brings with it unique challenges, such as the criminalisation of suicide and exploitation of blasphemy laws. There is a need for organised efforts to promote awareness of mental illness, amend the obsolete legislation in conformity with the scientific evidence, implement mental health policy effectively and deal with sensitive issues that have a strong sociocultural or religious background.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; human rights; low and middle income countries; psychiatry and law; transcultural psychiatry