Global Affairs

Mental Illness

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    • #11986
      Saleana Y
      Participant

        Hello! I was curious to see if anyone has any experiences with mental illness outside of the US? I know for my culture, mental illness isn’t taken seriously and is not acknowledged. Any input about other countries and experiences?

      • #12121
        Gabriel Mayeden
        Participant

          Hello Saleana.

          Most cultures, including where I come from underestimate impact of mental health and pay little attention to it because of lack of education and religious beliefs. I am originally from a country where mental health patients and their families are stigmatized and discriminated against, preventing people from coming forward when they face mental health issues. We only see mental health patient in individuals who go round naked, dirty and or in tattered clothes and often attribute their illness to drug overuse. I remember my younger sister’s boy friend called home one night that my sister had called her from a naval training base that she was not happy and feels like committing suicide. Until I came to the US, I did not realize she was suffering from depression. We did not look for any professional treatment for her, except the counselling and consolation my brother-in-law and I gave her the night she thought about harming herself. Thank goodness she is a happy mother of two kids now.

          In my view, increasing public health attention about mental health will drive policy changes and investment in most countries and communities where mental health receive less attention and seriousness.

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