In the culture and society of Pakistan, mental illness is a myth. Most parents here do not believe in mental illness, yes they will encourage their children to become psychologists, but when it comes to sending their child to one they tend to freak out a little.
The perception is if you are going to be a psychologist or psychiatrist you are completely mentally incompetent but that is not the case, people can visit the psychologist for a number of reasons; depression and anxiety are among other reasons.
A recent study found that the average youth has the same level of anxiety that an adult did during the 1950’s & 1960’s, but in a country like ours if you go around saying things like these, people will think you are the one who is in need of a doctor. I believe we treat mental illness as a taboo, which in turn makes it hard for young people who suffer from these illness to go and get treatment. The fact is that we treat mental illness as a taboo because of the one sentence that has not only ruined thousands of lives, but is also the cause of our youth’s frustration. What will people say?
Please my fellow Pakistanis don’t take mental illness lightly, please change the perception of it; break the taboo and help those who suffer from mental illness. Get treatment and forget about what people will think.
