DEPRESSION… LET’S BREAK THE SILENCE. I’M READY TO TALK. ARE YOU?

Depression is a mental disorder, millions of people around the world face this. Mental health is as important as physical health. Depression is a sort of mood fluctuation and emotional responses to challenges in everyday life. At its worst it can lead to suicide.

It’s very rare that people seek guidance or speak up about what they are feeling or facing, rarely you will find individuals who have suffered from a mental health condition and received the support they needed. People suffer alone, especially in Pakistan. They are made to believe that no one understands them and the only way out is taking their life and ending their torment. The recent case of Anam Tanoli’s suicide is a reminder that how mental health is important and how it can take your life. It was said to be suicide but it wasn’t, it was a murder and who actually killed her? We as a society killed her. She was a target of bullying and trolling over social media. She got dragged to hell for her choice of profession.  Just because she was a model and thus a public figure, the public thought they owned her and had the right to take it away.

It’s the most discussed topic now on public platforms. Mental health and issues related to mental health are more widely discussed now, thanks to celebrities. Soon after Anam Tanoli’s suicide, Momina Mustehsan shared few posts on Instagram talking about her fight with depression. The singer who become a public eye all of a sudden was a victim of depression. After all the fame she became a victim of cyber bullying. She was very depressed and stayed in her room for days but few months back she took initiative to encourage people to talk about depression.

Recently a very well known celebrity of Lollywood Zara Noor Abbas gave a Ted Talk at Lahore, she shared her journey, her struggles and the depression she faced. The way she tried to convince her father of her choice of profession. But like any other Pakistani Family, her family asked her to get married after that she can pursue whatever dreams she has. She went in search of the right man but while travelling she lost her passport and was deported, at last she reached America and found the guy and got married. Soon after that she realized that her decision was wrong eventually it ended with divorce and after that her journey of mental illness started, she faced the stereotype, she came to know that her mother has cancer. Everything was falling apart and then she connected to Allah, she locked herself for 3 days in a room for meditation and cried throughout and when she came out after 3 days she felt lighter. She was finally able to move on with her life. She said that a single decision is very important. Know why you’re making that decision and also what you want out of it. Understand who you are and what is driving you. You are the most important person in your life therefore, you must always put yourself first. Accept yourself and embrace yourself. Speak up and share your feelings with people around you. It’s better than dealing with pain all by yourself.