Young People & Depression

Published February 15, 2011

The first time I ever thought of depression as a medical condition was nearly a decade ago when one of my high school classmates here in Salalah suddenly stopped attending classes halfway through the semester. She’d always been a loner and didn’t participate much in class so it took a few days before anyone realized she was gone. Two weeks later, she still hadn't showed up. Slowly rumors began to spread about her sudden disappearance and despite her family's desperate attempts at concealing the truth, we found out she had tried to end her life by swallowing bleach. She had been suffering from severe clinical depression and heaven knows what else, but her family refused to acknowledge it. Instead, they took her to local witchdoctors whose diagnosis was simply demonic possession. After undergoing a couple of exorcisms she decided she couldn't cope with life anymore and wanted to take the easy way out. She was seventeen at the time.

.

Sadly, situations like this one are not uncommon here in Dhofar. I can think of at least ten young people I know who have suffered from severe depression but weren't brave enough to tell their families or go to a doctor for fear of being talked about and criticized. In our conservative society, people with depression or any form of mental illness are looked down upon, and if they do speak up they are immediately taken to a witchdoctor or religious sheikh. I agree that keeping your faith strong works in many cases for adults, but isn't shoving a prayer book into the hands of a depressed teenager who is struggling with suicidal thoughts a little harsh?

.

There's no point denying the fact that depression is an illness that is definitely on the rise among young people and adults in Oman and all over the world, but the good news is that medical treatment is available. Believe it or not, there are some really excellent psychologists in our government and private hospitals and clinics who can help patients suffering from clinical depression. According to SQU Hospital in Muscat, over two thousand women were diagnosed with depression in 2010. The fact that they sought medical help at all is a huge step in the right direction. I can only wish the same were true for Salalah. We have a long way to go before people here open up about mental illnesses. Sure, it's discussed in secret and anonymously in local internet forums, but we need to publicly shed light on the situation. Our kids need to be educated about their mental wellbeing. They need to know when to ask for help. Most young people are reluctant to seek help and don't realize that proper treatment (i.e. not branding or exorcisms) can alleviate the symptoms in most cases. Yet because it often goes unrecognized, depression continues to cause unnecessary suffering.

.

Several decades ago life in Oman was much simpler than it is now and depression wasn't much of an issue, but nowadays life can be too whelming for many young people. Some of us are able to cope but others simply can't. We all have our low days every now and then, but when one or two days become several months, it's time to seek help. The frightening thing is that many young victims in Oman feel they have nowhere to go for help. Most parents aren't able to recognize the symptoms, let alone school counselors and teachers.

.

I am in no way an expert on anything related to mental health but I have witnessed enough cases in this town where severe depression has been mistaken for demonic possession and hushed to protect the family's reputation. We need more mental health professionals in rural areas outside the capital and we need to shed more light on the secrecy surrounding mental illness in Omani culture. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

.

On a final note… since one of the strengths of society here is the fact that we're so intricately connected, surely we can use that to our advantage by providing collective support to people who suffer from mental illnesses? When someone dies, we rush to support the family and when someone is in need, we do the same. Surely if someone is suffering from depression, we could provide support as well?