Pakistan will host a two-day Global Mental Health Summit 2026 in Islamabad next month, bringing policymakers, specialists and international organisations together as the country confronts a substantial shortage of mental health professionals and services.
The summit will take place at the Serena Hotel on October 1 and 2 under the theme “Building Climate-Resilient and Future-Ready Mental Health Systems for Children, Young People and Communities.”
Organised by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MNHR&C) with support from development partners, the meeting will include federal and provincial officials, parliamentarians, UN agencies, mental health professionals, academics, development organisations, young people, civil society representatives and people with lived experience of mental health conditions.
Pakistan faces a significant mental health treatment gap. An estimated 10–16% of adults experience mild-to-moderate psychiatric conditions, while another 1–2% live with severe mental illness. Mental disorders are reported as the leading cause of years lived with disability nationally and in several provinces and regions, and the leading contributor to total disability-adjusted life years among Pakistani women.
An estimated 80% or more of people with a diagnosable mental illness receive no formal mental healthcare in a given year. Around 500 psychiatrists and 200 clinical psychologists serve a population exceeding 240 million, while approximately 1% of the country’s psychiatric beds are allocated to children and adolescents.
Climate-related disasters have added to the challenge. Following the 2022 floods, which affected an estimated 33 million people, government assessments concluded that one in five people in affected areas would require mental healthcare. Baseline assessments reported depression among 38% and anxiety among 20% of those evaluated.
The economic cost of mental illness in Pakistan was estimated at approximately Rs617 billion in 2020.
Minister for National Health Services Malik Mukhtar Ahmad said mental health should be addressed as a public health priority.
“For too long, mental health has been treated as a private difficulty rather than a public responsibility,” he said.
The ministry is also developing the National Mental Health Policy 2026–35 in consultation with provinces and regions. The summit is expected to provide a national platform for advancing the policy and translating broader commitments into provincial and regional action.
Key areas on the two-day agenda include child and adolescent mental health, suicide prevention, substance use, digital mental health and innovation, and the development of climate-resilient mental health systems. The summit will also examine ways to integrate mental health and psychosocial support into disaster-risk reduction and climate-adaptation planning.
The South Asia Child and Adolescent Mental Health Landscape Analysis is also expected to be launched during the meeting.
Organisers expect the summit to conclude with the adoption of an Islamabad Declaration on Mental Health, outlining priority areas for future action. These are expected to include integrating mental healthcare more extensively into primary healthcare, schools and disaster preparedness, alongside expanding community-based services.
Ahmad said the summit should produce measurable commitments rather than simply another policy document.
“We are not gathering to add another document to a shelf. We are gathering to make commitments on financing, on workforce, on services delivered where people actually live and to be measured against them,” he said.
Organisers also aim to mobilise investment and partnerships involving the World Health Organization, UNICEF, universities, development partners, the Pakistani diaspora and philanthropic organisations.