The stigma surrounding mental health issues is being challenged by the new generation. Credit: Shutterstock.
“I’m bipolar”, Mohamad announces in a matter-of-fact tone. In his close-knit Lebanese community, admitting having a mental health disorder could prejudice his chances of getting married and finding a job, but Mohamad proudly insists he has freed himself from “all that shit”.
He comes from a Muslim family with a long history of mental issues, yet this has never been openly discussed. When he was 15, in the first attempt to understand the origins of his condition, he sought the help of a Sheikh. “He would only do like this”, Mohamad says, raising his hand to mimic a benediction, “and I would supposedly be healed”. Now he is 27 and, after years taking medications to numb the emotional roller-coaster, he feels ready to fight his demons without pills – or religion.
