We, and here I am talking about educated, liberal, well-travelled people of Pakistan, who form the minute elite of this country, are rather provincial and myopic in their views on many issues, among them is the sensitive subject of mental health.
There is a huge social stigma attached to mental illnesses in our society. People find established mental and psychological conditions as 'weakness' on the part of the individual or lack of will-power. Or in cases where this isn't the case evidently they think its a 'made-up' set of symptoms by the patient to gain attention and love of those around him. Another, very potent reason attributed to mental diseases is the practice of Black Magic (kala-jadoo, possession of the soul by an evil spirit or jinn (asraat) or evil-eye of others who are envious and jealous.)
I am surprised repeatedly at the manifestation of such beliefs by otherwise well-educated people amongst us and the major proponent of these attitudes are our women belonging to all social strata. It is still understandable that an uneducated, poor, harassed woman plagued by multiple problems may harbour such beliefs in an attempt to manifest control over her life and problems - simply because when we think we can identify a 'cause' to a problem, we feel we are closer to finding a solution to it. What baffles me is the growing reliance of educated and sophisticated women in these beliefs on the super-natural and its day to day affect on our actions and feelings. The result of such beliefs - is the flocking of women and men to men of learning in the intangible arts, or PIRS, Faqirs, alims and practitioners of jadoo for money or otherwise.
Why are we so ready to believe in something so remote as paranormal activity than a simple scientific explanation for say - depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental problems? Depression, that is clinical depression, that requires therapy and medication both is usually not seen as a disease, I'd pop hundreds of pills for a manifestly physical ailment such as headache, diarrhoea, flu but in case of depression or mood-swings I become defensive and shun medical intervention. WHY?
I would rather be told that I have been voodoo-ed by someone near and dear than believe that chemical balance in my brain is screwed up. I'd rather be a victim of evil-eye which is causing problems and difficulties in my way rather than be told that my own behaviour is responsible for my failure. I'd rather be told I am under some magic spell spun by some remote, unidentifiable 'enemy' than be held responsible for my own behaviour both physically and emotionally.
I think the key lies in the aura and attraction of the treatment. Depression, schizophrenia and other explanations of mental illnesses are mundane and boring, they are scary because it then becomes beyond our power to heal and cure them. But, in case of other explanations mental illness becomes less vague and strange and foreign, and is readily explicable, and not only that, I can do something about it, such as give sadqa, get the jadoo taken out and so on.
People rather perform absurd rituals, go on repeating some verses of the Quran a million times, give donations and burn candles than go to a psychiatrist or a medical doctor. The threat of being ostrasized by the society on account of grave mental illness is so strong that they are kept vague and medical explanation rarely sought and aspired to.
Why are we still enmeshed in medieval beliefs? Why are we confusing real conditions with unreal things? What are we scared of?
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