Covid-19 pandemic created traumatic disorder: AJK president
MUZAFFARABAD, June 24: The AJK President Sardar Masood Khan has called upon the psychologists to prepare for the national organisations their detailed recommendations to rid the people of depression in the wake of coronavirus and to guide the masses in order to reduce the psychological effects that erupted out of this global crisis.
Addressing a webinar on “psychological impacts of corona pandemic” organised by the University of Rawalakot-Poonch, Rawalakot, he said that because of the loss of lives, being quarantined at hospitals and homes, loss of business, job, and employment due to lockdowns, hundreds of thousands of people have been in trauma and under mental stress.
He asserted that as psychological therapy cannot be provided individually, it is obligatory for the medical experts, psychologists, and social scientists to guide the people in the right direction to save them from suffering from negative impacts.
The state president appreciated the University of Poonch-Rawalakot for holding the webinar in an effort to create awareness of this critical humane issue. “We must not forget that this pandemic has caused more psychological and mental issues than the medical problems, and efforts are being made to resolve them as was being done in the case of medical problems,” he added.
He urged the universities of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir to continue to hold such seminars and document the opinion of experts and share them with the health experts and other related national organisations and policymakers.
At the same time, he maintained, the universities should start counselling sessions for the students and ensure physical and virtual participation of the students in them to create awareness about the psychological and mental stress among them.
Earlier, in his opening address, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Poonch-Rawalakot Prof Dr. Rasool Jan thanked the state president Sardar Masood Khan for proposing to hold this webinar on this important issue.
The webinar was also addressed by the Dean Faculty of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Imtiaz Hussain, Director Institute of Clinical Psychology University of Karachi Prof. Dr. Uzma Ali, prof. Dr. Saubia Aftab and Prof Dr Suleman Shehzad of the University of Karachi.
