Conference proceedings of the first international conference on mental health, March 2012

Abstract

Correspondence: Muhammad Tahir Khalily Email dr.khalily@iiu.edu.pk There has been an alarming increase in mental illness reflected in a persistent wave of violence, suicide, deliberate self-harm, and disruption in the social fabric worldwide, and particularly in Pakistan, a developing country and now the ninth most populous in the world. Keeping in view the abovementioned mental health issues, the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, International Islamic University, organized the first international conference on mental health, held on March 29–30, 2012, with the theme “Violence, psychological trauma, and possible acute and post-traumatic interventions in general and particularly in Pakistani society”, to enable intellectual and academic circles to acquire a profound understanding of mental health issues and develop evidence-based strategies for the amelioration of psychological ailments. The chief invited guest at this inaugural conference was Sohail Naqvi, executive director of the Higher Education Commission, accompanied by Dr Mumtaz Ahmed, president of the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Nabi Bux Jumani, dean of the Faculty of Social Science, Muhammad Tahir Khalily, chairman and principal conference organizer, from the Department of Psychology, and Seema Gul, the coprincipal conference organizer. Tahir Khalily, the principal organizer, gave the welcome address, highlighting the prevalence of mental health problems in Pakistan as a consequence of violence. In addition, he lauded the support of the International Islamic University and Higher Education Commission in organizing this auspicious event. Sohail Naqvi, the principal invited guest speaker, highlighted the pioneering work of the Department of Psychology, International Islamic University, for launching a BS program in psychology and promoting mental health. He also referred to the dire need to address addiction as one of our social problems, and how women can play a significant role in the resolution of these problems, including addiction. The conference program was divided into three sessions, and each session was subdivided into presentations held in three separate rooms. Each session started with a keynote lecture from national (Murad Musa Khan, Aga Khan Medical University) and international clinical opinion leaders and academics (Inam-ul-Haq, Ireland; Grace Clark, US; Ashiq Ali Shah, Canada). Delegates were clinicians, academics, and students at the graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels, including professionals and scholars from different disciplines. Musa Mura Khan addressed the topic of “Challenges of suicide prevention in Pakistan”. Dovepress