Sufi Healing and Mental Health and Wellbeing: Tradition, Evidence and Future Directions

Abstract

Nearly half (47%) of the Low-Income countries and one third (30%) of the Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) spend less than 1% of their health budget on mental health (1). There are 600 psychiatrists and an equal number of psychologists in Pakistan, serving a population of 250 million. This compares to some high-income countries, such as Canada, which has nearly 5,000 psychiatrists for a population of 41 million, and the United Kingdom, which has 13,000 psychiatrists for a population of 70 million. 80% of the world population living in LMICS has high rates of mental illness and has poor access to mental healthcare (2). So, where do people go to seek help for their emotional and mental health problems?