Karachi 19 October
Credible Post Report
World Mental Health Day 2026 was celebrated by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), in collaboration with Jinnah Sindh Medical University.
Speakers representing psychiatry, the arts, healthcare, and policymaking emphasised a collective message:
Listen to people. Respect their experiences. Include their voices in decision-making.
World Mental Health Day 2026 highlights the importance of listening to people living with mental health conditions and involving them in decisions about their treatment, care, rights, and overall well-being.
Professor Dr Chuni Lal , Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, JPMC
He emphasised the importance of medical ethics, compassion, and respect for patients, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds.
Dr Ali Imran — Director and Founder, Tele-Global Health, Artificial Intelligence, and Metabolic Psychiatry highlighted the importance of holistic health, lifestyle medicine, and metabolic psychiatry in promoting mental well-being.
He discussed the potential role of healthy nutrition, lifestyle interventions, ketogenic diets, and other evidence-based therapeutic approaches in the management of certain mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.
He highlighted that treatment should be individualised, taking into account the patient’s condition, needs, preferences, and potential medication side effects.
Lifestyle interventions and appropriate professional mental healthcare should work together to achieve the best possible outcomes. Medication should be prescribed when clinically indicated, with careful consideration of its benefits, risks, and potential side effects.
Dr Ali also highlighted the potential of *artificial intelligence (AI) and social media platforms*, including YouTube and Facebook, to raise public awareness, share reliable health information, reduce stigma, and promote mental health education.
Dr Ambren Usmani, Principal, Sindh Medical College, JSMU
She encouraged medical students to seek help from physicians, mental health professionals, or other qualified healthcare providers when experiencing examination-related stress or other emotional difficulties.
She also highlighted the importance of seeking appropriate professional support rather than resorting to the inappropriate use of medication or other substances.
Professor Dr Abu Hassan from BioEngineering Department of NED University spoke on the integration of medical science with technology so we can see how pills and drugs work in the brain
This will make interuniversity collaborative work, which benefits people .
Dr Kareem Khuwaja.
He emphasized the need for effective government policies to promote holistic health, improve mental healthcare services, and strengthen support for people living with mental health conditions.
Key messages from all health care providers and speakers and students Arts video clips and speeches were the following:
Listen Without Judgement.
Respect the experiences, feelings, and perspectives of people living with mental health conditions.
End Stigma and Discrimination.
Promote understanding, compassion, dignity, equality, and the protection of human right.
Involve people with lived experience in developing mental health policies, treatment services, and healthcare programmes.
Promote Person-Centred Care.
Ensure that mental health services are accessible, affordable, respectful, and evidence-based, with care tailored to each person’s needs.
Strengthen Community-Based Care.
Support recovery, independence, family relationships, and social inclusion while protecting the rights and dignity of individuals.
Integrate Prevention and Healthy Lifestyles.
Promote physical activity, healthy nutrition, quality sleep, stress management, and positive social connections alongside appropriate professional mental healthcare.
Mental health services must be developed with people who have lived experience, not merely for them.
Their voices, knowledge, and experiences are essential to improving healthcare policies, reducing stigma, and creating more compassionate, inclusive, and effective mental health systems.
Mental health is an essential part of holistic health.
