More than twenty patients under treatment at a psychiatric hospital in Karachi’s Nazimabad area managed to overpower staff and escape on Thursday before going on a joyride in a stolen vehicle and also damaged property in the nearby area.

The patients - including recovering addicts and those suffering from psychological conditions - asked the staff to open the door on the pretext of filling the water cooler. They attacked the staff once the door was opened and escaped, taking some money with them.

They overpowered the hospital guard and stormed the houses of the residents of the area. Several staff members were also injured.

Some of the patients were able to steal a vehicle, believed to be a jeep, and went on a joyride. The vehicle was found a short distance away.

A number of patients who damaged the houses and vehicles of the local residents were detained by the police. Some patients’ families have returned them to the hospital.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 400 psychiatrists and five psychiatric hospitals exist within the entire country for a population exceeding 238 million people, a problem only exacerbated in rural areas where there is only one psychiatrist per million people

Estimates show that approximately 1 in 4 Pakistanis over the age of 18 will be affected by a mental health condition at some point in their lives, of which over 80% will not be able to access mental health support according to a report published by National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR).

In reality, this number is likely under-reported because of the stigma attached to mental health disorders preventing seeking help and the lack of mental health awareness among the masses.