Developmental disabilities in the third world
August 23, 2012 7:01 PM   Subscribe

A recent incident in Pakistan where a Christian girl who reportedly has Down Syndrome was arrested for burning pages of the Quran has incited a furor in Pakistan.

Most Arab countries are lacking in treatment availability for mentally disabled people, and the vast majority of disabled people in the Arab world do not have the chance to seek treatment abroad. Worldwide, 2.5% to 3% of the total population are mentally disabled, and the figures in the Middle East are slightly higher, though exact epidemiological data is extremely difficult to obtain. There has been little research done on assessment and treatment of intellectual disabilities in developing countries, but organizations like Open Society Foundation are working to increase awareness and acceptance of all people. Autism prevalence research and treatment are increasing, and in many developing nations opportunities and resources for the mentally disabled are becoming more available.
posted by chela (3 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: I'd suggest writing this post over without the "arab country" aspect and the pre-outraging. If you want to talk about how mental illness is dealt with in Pakistan or in Arab countries, please write about that. If you want to write about this furor/outrage, that's a different not-as-great-for-MeFi sort of post. -- jessamyn



 
Pakistan is not an Arab country.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 7:10 PM on August 23, 2012


This is a sad story, but the articles about "Arab countries" and the "Middle East" are not really relevant here - neither of those categories applies to Pakistan.
posted by raztaj at 7:11 PM on August 23, 2012


I'm sure we can all learn a lesson from this.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 7:15 PM on August 23, 2012


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