The Stigma around Therapy and Mental Illnesses 

By: Ahmed Sarbaz

Mental illnesses are common among young people since most of them suffer from these illnesses because life in the teenage years leads to a lot of stress and trauma, while it may come as no surprise that Iraq and the KRG population may suffer from mental illnesses, the way that psychotherapist and mental clinic wards offer little to no help for rehabilitation or helping with the trauma except for assigning medications and drugs. Rehabilitation is not the end of the story; it’s one other factor that may come into consideration: Stigma.  What is mental illness stigma? Concerning mental illness, stigma is when someone is marked or discredited somehow, or reduced from being a whole person to being a stereotype or labeled as a collection of symptoms or a diagnosis Due to the lack of awareness of the problems that arise with mental illness among the population, those who enter a psychiatric ward or a mere visit to a psychologist may be alienation of the patient from society. This is because anyone who suffers even from a mere depression can automatically be assumed to be “psycho” and other derogatory terms associated with the issues of the mental illnesses that arise. While this may be very problematic, it is important to spread more awareness of people suffering from mental issues, because the stigma may last a very long time. In Sulimaniyah, with a population of 1.5 million people, it’s very easy to recognize someone being in a mental hospital, or even an asylum due to the propagation of news in a small city and a community. Education is the only thing that may be able to solve this issue since their accounts of engagements and marriages are ruined because one of the partners found out that one of them has been in a mental asylum before. This is catastrophic since it may contribute to the divorce rate and the decline of population, and this influence may contribute more to the harsh living conditions that are going on in the region and the country if the influence persists.