Marilyn Ateeq reports:
“A healthy body resides in a healthy mind,” a saying we hear often, but how far the Lebanese are from it, especially following they have been decimated by calamities in light of the economic, political and social crises that the country has been going through for more than 3 years.
The condition of the Lebanese in recent years is deplorable. Psychological, material and security stability is non-existent, as every citizen is left to his fate.
Several factors, from extreme poverty to the Corona pandemic and the Beirut port explosion, led to the deterioration of the mental health of the Lebanese, who rushed to psychiatric clinics, to avoid the worst… suicide.
In the context, Lynn Latif, a specialist in psychology and cognitive-behavioral therapy, confirmed that “the whole world was affected psychologically following the Corona pandemic, but in Lebanon the situation has worsened even more, as the challenges that citizens face these days have created a state of depression and despair for them, in addition to Difficulty in engaging with society, and this matter appeared with the beginning of the crisis in Lebanon, that is, regarding three years ago.
And she stated that “these symptoms may affect all age groups without exception.”
In an interview with IMLebanon, Latif indicated that “there are no accurate numbers of patients who resort to psychiatrists, but there is no doubt that the number increased a lot during this period, at a rate of no less than forty percent,” revealing that “a significant number of Citizens resort to associations instead of clinics, for financial reasons.”
In the current month of March, Lebanon recorded 6 suicide cases following the crisis took a dramatic turn, following the Information International announced that suicides decreased during the year 2022 compared to 2021.
The average number of suicides annually during the years 2013-2022 reached 143, and the highest number was recorded in 2019, when it reached 172, while the lowest number was 111, recorded in 2013.
The psychologist explained that “the decline in the suicide rate in Lebanon is due to the awareness campaigns carried out by the specialized associations, as well as to the free treatments they provide.”
She added, “But inevitably there are many suicides, and unreported cases as well.”
From here, she pointed out that “the issue of resorting to a psychiatrist is still rejected by many Lebanese because they consider it to be defective. As for the psychiatrist, the situation is a little better, because the patient in this case does not repeat his visits to the clinic, as they are brief, which reduces Embarrassment in his view,” considering that “this way of thinking is wrong and grows in people because of the culture of the parents, so seeking help from specialists is a positive matter, not the other way around.”
She also stressed that “anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses among the Lebanese, and I believe that everyone suffers from anxiety, albeit to varying degrees, in these unstable conditions and in the absence of future vision and planning.”
With the aim of improving our mental health before the disease worsens, Latif advises the Lebanese to “express all their concerns and all the important events that took place with them during their day through writing, exercising, which helps a lot in improving psychological stress, sleeping regularly, and finally staying away from harmful substances such as cigarettes.” And the hookah and alcohol that put a person in a lethargic state.”
Getting rid of the stigma related to mental health, and encouraging seeking professional help, remains the best way to build a healthy society, even in light of successive crises. The most important thing to remember is that taking care of mental health is the key to overall health.
