Although mental health is gaining more and more importance in Egypt and the general Arab world, it is still considered somewhat of a taboo topic to discuss openly. Middle Eastern countries have a history of shaming mental health issues or problems, causing the majority of their populations to ‘keep quiet’ if they are facing mental health issues or to simply ‘brush them off’. This ‘there are more serious issues’ mentality has therefore been prevalent when it comes to issues of mental health. In reality however, a large number of Egyptians face all sorts of mental health issues and more people are now seeking some form of therapy. In fact, online therapy has increased in popularity and platforms such as Shezlong (founded in 2014) have emerged in order to facilitate accessibility to therapists. According to a 2018 article published in Egypt Today in which the Ministry of Health conducted a nation-wide survey on mental health, they found that “25 percent of the [Egyptian] population is found to be suffering from mental health-related problems… The study showed the prevalence of anxiety and depression disorders among that quarter of the respondents.” That being…
‘A Well of Deprivation’: One of the Few Egyptian Films to Bravely Tackle Mental Health
October 18, 2020
