Child and adolescent mental health services in Pakistan: current situation future directions and possible solutions

摘要

Worldwide, mental disorders are on the increase (Gadit, ) and an estimated 10–20% of children have one or more mental or behavioural problems (Park, ). There is an urgent and serious need to pay attention to the mental health needs of children in low- and middle-income countries (Rahman et al, ). The initial survey for the World Health Organization’s Atlas project (Sherer, ) showed that 41% of countries surveyed had no mental health policy and 28% had no separate budget for mental health.