Blog Posts

Well, are you? Maybe you’re ashamed of your sibling or parent’s disorder? I have to admit that at one time, I was so ashamed of my mental illness that I totally blocked the idea for over two years. I thought I’m “so intelligent”, how can I have a mental illness? And there’s the rub. Many (including me at one time) think mental illness = stupid, crazy, pagal and retarded. Ayub alayhi salaam was severely tested with an illness for 7 years (some scholars say more). And he welcom

She loves him like the morning dew loves the lush grass. They have a remarkable son together. Despite being torn apart by hatred between their families, the two lovers manage to unite once more. But when death comes to him the union could be no more. Her family would sway and soften but not the Angel of Death. How did she endure the death of her darling? How did she live without the one she followed to the Ethiopian desert? How did she sleep knowing the love she wept for unde

I was under a lot of stress before I got bipolar. The symptoms were flaring up and I constantly felt the pressure of a monster I had no name for. Then, in an odd kind of way, I was relieved to learn that bipolar was behind all this boiling water I often found myself in. I thought the boiling pot was gone. But I was faced with another problem partly from myself and partly from others. I started to think I was stupid and crazy. I remember there were others who saw me the same w

As if mental illness wasn’t hard enough to treat already, now there are six foolish misconceptions I’ve seen time and again. These pieces of misinformation are usually spread through gossip or old wives’ tales. Though they might be juicy and entertaining, this kind of trash can really complicate the situation when someone or a loved one is battling depression or bipolar or schizophrenia. Thus, I am writing this posts to not only dispel those myths others might spread but also

The belief that mental problems are attributed to a lack of faith, spirit possession, bad karma, and the evil eye is strongly engrained in many non-Western cultures. This may encourage families and individuals to avoid seeking help for their psychological problems for fear that they will shame their family or that they are revealed as being weak. Some cultures also believe that admitting to having a mental health problem is a form of loss of face and shameful. (Aloud & Rathur

“It’s all my fault.” This misconception around mental illness makes us believe that we spilled the coffee when in actuality, it was the table with a missing leg. But this isn’t easy to understand when all you can focus on is the coffee mug. That’s how mental illness is. It consumes you so much that you lose touch with reality. You go in your own bubble and keep pointing the finger inwards. And though, that self-pointing can be tied to taking responsibility, you are doing anyt