Sadly, the sunshine of hope does not seem to glisten through the dark clouds of disappointment and frustration that float over third world countries since years. Price hike, high rate of unemployment, and the ever increasing energy crises are pushing disappointment and dissatisfaction even higher; leading to anxiety, stress, depression and fatigue among people. Everyone is affected by mental distress at some point in their lives. With the increase in financial and economic worries people are now significantly at a greater risk of being affected by poor mental health.
According to psychiatrist, a person is said to have poor mental health when he experiences “inability to cope with day-to-day issues regarding family, work and interpersonal relations”. According to Psychiatrist, economic uncertainties playa major role in giving rise to mental health problems. When people find it difficult to meet the expenses they start worrying. Some become positive and make efforts to earn more whereas others develop a negative attitude and fall into depression and anxiety. “The increasing levels of stress and anxiety have a great negative impact on the individuals, families and the community”, says Dr Aliya, a Clinical Hypnotherapist. The economic difficulties, ranging from unemployment, low wages and job insecurity to inflation and energy crises are increasing the pressure over the individuals and their families. Apart from the issue of money-making people have to face each other’s disturbed emotions and behaviors. Couples end up in fights whereas children feel neglected and ignored. All these economic worries and disturbances in families lead to higher levels of stress, frustration, and anxiety. According to Hypnotherapist, people complain about the increasing cost of living even though they work extra hours. “Working for long hours is not only affecting their mental and physical health but also disturbing the whole family”. Teenagers especially boys come to her complaining about their fathers not giving them quality time. Fathers when asked say they are helpless. They have to work to earn for their children. “Children, who do not get fathers attention, tend to become aggressive and develop confidence and concentration issues”.
According to a 2010 survey by Gallup Pakistan, a country of developing countries, among a sample of 2698 men and women from rural and urban areas of Pakistan, 51 percent say they have to cut down their expenses to meet the ends, 27 percent have started buying cheaper items whereas 21 percent have started struggling to earn extra income.
omar, a 17 year old youngster in Rawalpindi, Pakistan says his father had to move to another country in search of a job even before he was born. “I had not met my father till I was eight. He could not visit us because of visa issues and he knew if he returned there would be no source of income”. When Omar’s father came back on insistence of Omar’s mother, he was unable to find an appropriate job. And as a result his father used to become aggressive. “He was almost always in a bad mood”, says Omar. The teenager says he belongs to a joint family and so because of his uncle and grandfather he hardly felt his father missing. “But no one can replace your father”, he adds.
There are uncountable examples of children like Omar who are deprived of the precious company of their fathers. This deprivation is visible in their personalities in one way or the other. Similarly, there are countless fathers like Omar’s who in search of employment have to leave their country, and loved ones and live abroad in isolation. Due to stress and frustration they become belligerent and aggressive. Even if they are around their children they are so engrossed in economic worries to give quality time and affection their children need. And too bad, time and life do not run back. The problem of unemployment is increasing, creating more obstacles for people to meet their finances.
A 2011 Gallup Pakistan survey states that 55 percent people see inflation whereas 16 percent consider unemployment as the chief economic issue. Another survey carried out in 2010 claims that a huge majority of people (93 percent) complain it is extremely difficult to find a job. The oppressing need for jobs in today’s economy is increasing the psychological pressure on youth. As a result, a negative approach towards life is rising among them. They cannot find an appropriate way out of the depression and thus opt for deadly and illegal channels like alcohol, drug addiction, and smoking. Load shedding, unavailability of CNG and the soaring prices of petrol yet add to the troubles of Pakistanis. Electricity shortfall has reached up to 6000 MWAccording to another survey of Gallup Pakistan, 43 percent people claim more than eight hours of load shedding in a day. This of course will leave people irritated and aggravated and have negative impacts on their mental state. Dr Aliya says people feel depressed when they go into darkness because prolonged load shedding breakdowns UPSs and generators as well. Moreover, small production units are closing down because people cannot afford so many generators. The most distressing consequence of stress, depression, frustration and disappointment is the increase in number of suicides in Pakistan. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP),in 2009 there had been almost 1393 suicidal deaths in the country. Out of which 119 were due to financial problems and 90 due to unemployment. The situation has definitely exacerbated now.
According to the regional directorates of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human rights in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta, 50 percent suicides are committed because of poverty and economic sufferings.
Question is: is there a way to cope with anxiety, stress, frustration and depression before they raise to an extent that one attempts suicide or even thinks of doing it. Answer is, yes Psychiatrist, Dr Aliya encourages people to adopt “self-help techniques”. These techniques include self-help stress tests, exercises (breathing) and vocabulary exercises, etc. Moreover, Dr Najma advises people in depression or under stress to share their problems with their close relations. Talk to family and friends about how they can solve their financial problems. “A lot of people might realize they are thinking too hard, the problem actually is not that big. But they are unable to control their emotions. If that is the case they need medical help”. According to Dr Aliya, depressed people get hooked on to the shortcut: medicine! “They say they do not have time for therapies and simply ask for medicine. Medicines have side effects. People should focus on the long-term effects”. A depressed person needs a lot of family support. Family and friends can help the individual by being positive and patient.
Related Post: