Do we have a mental health crisis?
Between 10% and 16% of Pakistani adults live with anxiety and depression, while 15% of children and adolescents experience mental health disorders. Severe conditions like schizophrenia affect 1% to 2% of the population, alongside roughly 4 million illicit drug users, all while suicide rates rise alarmingly every year.
Massive societal stigma, low literacy, and the widespread misconception that mental illness is caused by demonic possession heavily delay medical treatment. Because of cultural beliefs and a lack of awareness, many people turn to spiritual healers rather than specialized care providers. With 24.3% of the population living below the poverty line, limited personal finances severely restrict access to care.
There are only around 500 psychiatrists in the entire country an alarming 2 to 3 providers per million people. Less than 1% of Pakistan's GDP goes to mental health. Specialized facilities are incredibly scarce: just 650 inpatient units nationwide, and a mere 1% of care centres are dedicated to children and adolescents.
The path forward is clear. Integrating mental health screening into primary care and training Lady Health Workers can bring essential counseling and diagnosis to remote, rural areas. Collaborating with religious leaders and mosques can normalize help-seeking and dismantle stigma. And increasing the national budget, introducing psychiatric subspecialties, and expanding residency programs are critical to building a sustainable system.
What about adolescents?
Adolescence is a high-stakes transition teens make up one-sixth of the global population, yet 14% of them face mental health conditions that go completely unnoticed and untreated.
This critical window is where lifelong habits are built: physical exercise, healthy sleep, strong emotional management. Yet one in seven adolescents faces largely untreated mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders that disrupt their education and add to a national disease burden.
Emotional Disorders
Anxiety and depression are widespread among adolescents, rising with age and causing severe academic disruption, social isolation, and an increased risk of suicide.
Behavioral Disorders
ADHD and conduct disorder are more common in younger teens. Left unmanaged, they heavily disrupt education and raise the risk of future criminal behavior.
Eating Disorders
Anorexia and bulimia spike in older teens and often co-exist with depression or anxiety carrying the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder.
Psychosis
Typically appearing in late adolescence, conditions like schizophrenia cause hallucinations that disrupt daily life while leaving young people vulnerable to stigma and rights violations.
Left unaddressed, cumulative risks abuse, bullying, discrimination, media pressure can lead to severe lifelong consequences, including a devastatingly high risk of suicide.
Many lifelong risk-taking behaviors begin in adolescence, often as an unhelpful coping mechanism that damages both mental and physical health. Tobacco is a critical concern: the vast majority of adult smokers light their first cigarette before turning 18. Alongside substance use and violence, early exposure hooks young people into harmful patterns that persist for a lifetime.
What could be the solution?
Supportive environments and accessible care are vital to shield adolescents from immediate stressors and help them thrive as adults. Productive activities and personal hobbies are an easy way to self-regulate and find healthier coping mechanisms and volunteering is a great place to start. It fosters positive community impact, lifts personal health and happiness, and works as a powerful sandbox for unlocking new career opportunities, whether you're a teenager or a grown adult.
- Builds leadership, problem-solving, and time management outside the classroom plus empathy, conflict resolution, and social responsibility.
- A powerful antidote to academic stress that triggers happiness-linked brain chemistry and fights loneliness through new social connections.
- Transforms a CV: it bridges the experience gap, shows initiative to employers, and opens doors to mentors and industry networks.
- Provides a profound sense of purpose, boosts self-esteem, and builds resilience against stress and isolation.
- Strengthens local connections, cultivates new friendships, and sharpens skills like active listening and empathetic management.
- Teaches transferable hard and soft skills while expanding your professional network and building a standout resume
Where to find volunteer opportunities
Since Alkhidmat Foundation is one of the country's largest organizations with work spanning many areas you can easily find a role tailored to your exact skills and time commitment.
On-the-Ground Disaster Response & Relief
- Rescue & Relief Operations
- Assist teams during floods, earthquakes, or localized emergencies with evacuations and setting up temporary shelter tents.
- Ration Packing & Distribution
- Sort, package, and distribute food ration bags and medical supplies at regional collection centres during drives.
Community Service & Specialized Camps
- Medical & Blood Donation Drives
- Medical and nursing students or professionals can volunteer at mobile health units, free check-up clinics, and blood camps.
- Orphan Care (Aghosh Homes)
- Spend time with children, organize recreational events, or help with educational and sports activities.
- Environmental & Cleanliness Drives
- Join neighborhood cleanups and the "Clean & Green Pakistan" tree-plantation campaigns.
Digital & Skill-Based Volunteering
- Social Media Advocacy
- Act as an online ambassador share appeals, promote campaigns, and respond to queries across platforms.
- Content Creation
- Contribute graphic design, photography, videography, video editing, translation, or content writing.
- Bano Qabil Program Support
- Mentor, coordinate, or instruct for the large-scale IT training program aimed at youth empowerment.
Fundraising & Event Management
- Campaign Management
- Organize logistics for fundraising stalls, university collection drives, and public awareness expos.
- Event Hosting
- Coordinate logistics, manage crowds, and run schedules for events like Grand Iftars for orphans or youth conventions.
Structured Institutional Tracks
- Social Internship Program
- Alkhidmat frequently offers formal hybrid internships for university and college students — focusing on leadership development, environmental sustainability, and project management.
A gentle note: mental health is health. If you or someone you know is struggling, reaching out to a trusted adult, a family doctor, or a licensed mental health professional is a strong first step not a weakness. You don't have to have it all figured out to deserve support.
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.