Mental Health Awareness Importance: The Bahraini Case

Recently, spreading mental health awareness has become somewhat of a trend on social media. Many foreign celebrities have also shared their struggles with mental illnesses and used that time to talk about how important it is to be aware of these issues that real people in real life face. Yet, our society seems to be having a cultural lag. Even though approximately 1 in 4 people struggle from mental illnesses, in Bahrain they remain unspoken about, unreal, and uncompensated for. Why mental health awareness is important? The essay states that such unhealthy mindsets cause many problems to those who actually need help and even regular people and that is one of the main causes why mental health awareness should be rised. 

Mental Health Awareness and Issues Amoung Bahraini People

For starters, speaking of therapy and mental illnesses is considered taboo, and the mentally impaired are often looked down upon and condemned for needing to ‘grow up’; sometimes people get annoyed with them because they have to ‘deal’ with their irregular behaviours. We put up this stigma, and we must tear it down. People with illnesses may not seek help because of fear of being stigmatised or being seen as weak willed. If friends and family were supportive, or just society in general, it would be easier for the mentally impaired to reach out; especially those with illnesses such as anxiety and depression, since things as simple as making appointments or calling a therapist seem much harder to them than they actually are. Sadly however, it is very common to hear someone say ‘they deserve it because they’re deranged and infirm’, a perception that is widely spread in our society. It’s time to understand that these illnesses have nothing to do with will power, they are malfunctions in the brain. The brain is an organ, just like the liver or kidneys. If someone’s liver were to malfunction, no one would say that it was due to them being weak-willed, so how come it is justified for them to blame a patient for their brain’s impairment?

Moreover, because the Bahraini society has a tendency to illegitimate mental health issues. Which leads those who need professional help to having a hard time finding it. From teens whose parents are convinced are just misbehaving and are victimising themselves, to the lack of institutes around, getting the proper treatment often proves to be difficult. Even after an individual beats shame and denial, there would still be high chances of them struggling with practical issues. For example, “most emergency departments are ill-equipped to meet the needs of patients in the midst of mental health crises'. But how can I prove mental illnesses are legitimate when they’re not physical? As mentioned before, they actually are. Mental disorders are brain disorders, however the symptoms tend to affect behaviour and thinking rather than physical health.

In addition, if people were able to identify their mental problems and stressors and learn how to live in a way that is healthier to them, society as a whole would improve. For instance, more awareness leads to people recognising their mental illnesses and seeking help while it is still in its early stages. Another example is how a good mental health makes people more confident and more capable of managing and coping with daily problems. Still, many in our society argue that mental health isn’t as important as physical health; and that if the issue was real, people would go seek help. However the matter of fact remains that mental and physical health are closely connected. People with mental health issues may end up struggling with taking good care of their physical health, which may lead to serious problems. One is in no way more important than the other, so taking care of both is the ideal. As for the other argument, most people don’t think to go to a professional until they’ve had some sort of crisis. It would be much easier to catch and manage an illness in its early stages rather than waiting until you can no longer live your life right to finally do something about it. If mental health was taken as seriously as physical health, then people would have regular check-ups with a professional just as they would with a doctor.

Conclusion

Overall, the way our society treats mental illnesses and those with mental illnesses simply isn’t alright. It causes many problems, from making them feel shunned and afraid to not having enough resources for them; it would also function much better if there was awareness of these illnesses. Awareness for action has to be taken, if anything is to change, action has to be taken. We must spread awareness is whatever ways we can, we must educate ourselves and each other, and we must provide safety and both professional and social support for those who need it.

Bibliography

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