How can we break the stigma on mental illness in the Arab world?
Arab countries are currently exposed to a multitude of stressors due to political and economic unrest. Over the past few decades, the region has been the theatre of war and violence, displacement, refugee crisis and terrorist threats, all of which are causing mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), depression and various anxiety disorders.
What’s ever sadder is that mental illness is often a double-edged sword on the person suffering from it, as they have to simultaneously struggle with the symptoms and cope with the stigma surrounding it. Mental illness is even sometimes considered as some kind of curse or possession in Muslim and Christian traditions alike. And because ill people have internalized these stereotypes, they end up refusing treatment or discontinuing it, which reduces even further their opportunities for reinsertion into the community.
It’s time to put an end to the stereotype that suffering from a mental illness is akin to being “insane”. Many people suffer in silence for far too long for fear of ruining their and their family’s reputation and social standing. Even worse, they can give up on seeking help in order to avoid being the target of malicious gossip. Disclosing personal issues and breaking family privacy are considered inacceptable in the Arab world. And yet this is crucial to people getting better.
Surely good mental health practice needs to take into account the complexities and intricacies of Arab culture. Most interventions should be adapted in a culturally sensitive fashion and treatments should be tailored to address specific issues within the region. Understanding and being aware of patients’ beliefs will facilitate discussions and foster deeper relationships between patients, their families and mental health professionals. Religious and spiritual care should be an integral part of patient care.
According to the World Health Organization, mental health legislations should guarantee the right for privacy, informed consent, confidentiality, freedom from abusive treatment and the right for non-discrimination. The enforcement of these rights should be closely monitored. Mental health services should be provided by professionals with proper education in order to avoid malpractices that further exacerbate the stigma against such services.
The prevalence of mental illness in the Arab world today calls for strong measures. It’s like a big elephant in the room that many would rather ignore. But the consequences of this denial can be dire for the future of the region. Breaking the stigma on mental illness is therefore an urgent matter and it’s in the responsibility of each one of us to create a society where seeking help for our mental health is viewed no differently than seeking help for a physical illness.
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