A nation-wide survey conducted by Egypt’s Ministry of Health in 2018 revealed that 25 percent of the Egyptian population suffers from mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, depression and more. Unfortunately, many of the common responses to mental disorders expose the deeply-rooted stigma that is rife in Egypt. Often these illnesses and disorders are blamed on the person suffering from them, at times even attributed to a lack of faith. These beliefs – which discount the social, genetic, and chemical foundations of mental illness – are often founded in archaic belief systems that link disability, distress, and disorders to witchcraft and even as far as demonic possession. Decades of negative portrayals of mental and psychological illnesses in Egyptian media have only served to exacerbate the stigma. As recently as 2014, the hit film El Feel El Azraq (The Blue Elephant) a character’s mental disturbance was believed to have been caused by a demonic interference. Society’s hostile disposition and lack of recognition of the dangers of mental illnesses prevents many Egyptians from seeking help, and as a result keeps them ignorant of the availability of psychiatric hospitals….
Behman: a Leading Psychiatric Hospital in a Society of Shame and Disgrace
August 10, 2022
