Study Reveals Mobile Gaming Addiction and Burden of Homework Are Causes of Suicides Among Children

Experts warn that increasing addiction to gaming on mobile phones, parents’ failure to spend quality time with family and irrationally higher burden of homework are some of the major causes behind the growing number of suicides among children in schools, colleges and universities across Pakistan.

Psychiatric disorders are spreading fast in the country. Around 35 per cent of the country’s population needed psychiatric help at some point in their life. Still, there is only one child psychologist for 40 million children.

Study Reveals Mobile Gaming Addiction and Burden of Homework Are Causes of Suicides Among Children

They were speaking at a one-day seminar on ‘Mental Health – A Global Priority’ at Sukkur IBA University the other day. Hope for All Social Development Organisation organised the programme in collaboration with Khairpur Medical College and Schizophrenia Outreach Larkana (SOL).

They expressed concern over the lack of experts in the field of psychology in Pakistan, the Dawn reported.

Head of SOL, Dr Badruddin Junejo, said that poverty, inflation, social inequalities, domestic violence and other reasons were also contributing to mental illnesses.

Dr Zulfiqar Rahojo, a psychologist and chairman of Sindh Progressive Thinkers Forum, said that according to the World Health Organisation statistics of 2017, there were a total of 342 psychologists, 478 psychiatrists and mental health professionals for about 21 million people in Pakistan.

Dr Harish Kumar Makheja, head of the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Khairpur Medical College, said that in addition to gaming on mobile phones, parents’ failure to spend quality time with family and irrationally higher burden of homework were some of the major factors for the increase in suicide in the young generation in schools, colleges and universities.

Rabia Mirza, chairperson of Hope for All Social Development Organisation, said that the entire society was trapped in depression, which was leading to anarchy and creating a tendency among the young generation to go for addiction and suicide.

There is only one child psychologist for 40 million children in the country

Dr Inayatullah Awan, head of the Department of Psychology, at GM College, Sukkur, said that Pakistani society was suffering from mental disorders caused by poaching, gender inequality, tribal wars, floods and epidemics. Inequality had created serious problems for the poor and marginalised people in society.

The speakers demanded a higher number of public-private partnership institutions for mental health and health budgets and a bigger allocation for mental health. Awareness campaigns are carried out for mental health through media and reforms be brought in existing laws for mental health.

In order to protect children from mental illnesses, the issue should be addressed in schools, communities and institutions and psychologists should be provided with more facilities and sent to rural areas and small towns.

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