Marium Rauf
Have you ever felt depressed, dejected and alone for a longer period of time? Have you ever thought that you misfit in this society? Although Being sad or down for couple of hours is a natural phenomenon, but a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest comes under depression.It takes over a person’s life to the point where they forget how it all began .It is insidious and building up over time. Many people mistakenly believe that depression is mere sadness or even a weakness of character. But in fact, depression is a complex mental health disorder. A person in depression may feel like the light at the end of the tunnel is a solitary candle about to blow out at any moment. At the same time, it also feels like the pain that will never end .Such pain gets worst when people around don’t realize what are you going through? Your close mates, family, peers or even strangers may tell you that your depression isn’t real. They might say most people with depression have it worse than you. They may claim that if you were really depressed you wouldn’t be doing ABC – which you are doing. Or you would have to be doing XYZ – which you’re not. Or worse, people might claim you’re pretending to be depressed just for the attention. Depression is one of the most isolating of human experiences; an army of those who suffer from it roams this earth.
Unfortunately One of the most silent, deadly and yet the most hardly talked about mental illnesses in Pakistan is depression. In Pakistan, nearly 34% of the population suffers from a kind of depressive order. People are mostly very reluctant to go to psychologists as they fear ridicule and stigma. More shocking is for a population of 220 million, only 400 trained psychiatrists exist with few state-run psychiatric hospitals and a small number of psychiatric units in teaching and general hospitals. Professor Rizwan Taj, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Dean of FMTI, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) shared some alarming facts about mental health conditions in Pakistan while addressing an event organized in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to commemorate World Mental Health Day last year in October . He said “The psychological health care system is woefully deficient in Pakistan, and the way it is managed explains why accessing psychological help is still taboo. Nearly one-third of the Pakistani population is suffering from some form of mental disorder; 50% is suffering from psychological distress and depression, which are responsible for 90 percent of the total suicide cases.
Along mental health worrying facts covid-19 which is nowhere near over has exacerbated conditions for people already suffering from mental illnesses. Extensive lockdowns have triggered panic, fear, insecurity, uncertainty, and stress in society. People staying at home in quarantine and self-isolation have experienced both physical and psychological pressure. Moreover, they have lost their jobs and are terrified due to the impact of the pandemic. It is not wrong to say that mental health variants are also showing up along Covid-19 variants.
There is a dire need of mental health awareness in developing countries especially in Pakistan .There are few ways one can help a person with depression symptoms.one of them is let your loved ones know you’re there for them. You can start the conversation by sharing your concerns and asking a specific question. Encourage them and support them to make that first appointment can be so helpful if they’re having a hard time with it. It is important to know that depression doesn’t have a clear recovery timeline. Expecting your family members or friends to return to their usual self after a few weeks in therapy won’t help either of you. Healing requires patience.
As a nation, we should band together and support one another. Those of us who feel strong enough should speak more freely about their experiences. We need to give voice to mental health awareness. Maybe that will help kill the stigma of depression forever — and make those who are suffering realize they are not alone. We need to normalize “ it’s ok not to be ok”!
The writer can be accessed at Email :mairum.mirha@yahoo,com