Mental Health Awareness Day marked at Queen Mary College

Lahore  –  Mental Health Awareness Day 2026 titled “Heard Your Own Experiences: Real Voices, Real Change” was celebrated by the Department of Psychology, Government Queen Mary Graduate College, Lahore. The special guest of the ceremony was Professor Ahsan Mukhtar, Director Colleges Lahore Division, while Principal Professor Dr. Sidra Aamir presided over the ceremony. The ceremony consisted of three parts: Panel Discussion, Poster Competition and Awareness Walk, the panel discussion was titled “Beyond Numbers and MD CAT: Coping with Academic Pressure and Protecting Mental Health”. The chairmanship was held by renowned clinical psychologist Ms. Aqila Umarin (PIMH) and the co-chair was Professor Dr. Zeb Sadiq. The moderator was Dr. Shazia Aslam, Head of the Department of Psychology.  The prominent panelists included Prof. Dr. Nadia Dar, Ms. Alina Naveed, Dr. Fawzia Hadi Ali and representatives of parents and students.
The experts emphasized that marks are not the ultimate measure of a student’s ability, parents should encourage instead of compare and encourage instead of criticize, and compassion instead of criticize. The main message of the panel was: “Academic achievements are important, but mental health is even more important.”
In the second part, students presented creative posters on the topic of mental health, while at the end, an awareness walk was organized with the aim of eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health.
The chief guest, Prof. Ahsan Mukhtar, appreciated the efforts of the college and advised the students not to consider failure as the end of the journey. Principal Prof. Dr. Sidra Aamir said that mental health is an integral part of overall life and the college is committed to the all-round development of students.