Unveiling the silent struggles of mental health illnesses

If you or your loved ones are ever so unlucky that you break a bone, or even catch so much as the common cold, no one expects you to suffer in silence. You seek help from doctors, family, or friends to get back to normal.

But what if your illness leaves no mark? What if you seek help, and you’re met with doubt, disbelief, or worse yet, fear?

This is the isolating nature of mental health illnesses. It becomes a shroud that can affect every aspect of life.

Emirati Adel Bin Hdaya AlFalasi, 34, carried that shroud under the label of “possessed boy”.

When AlFalasi’s mental illness manifested itself at the age of 11 after traumatic events, he became aggressive and displayed explosive behaviour with an unexplained temper and a short fuse triggering hallucinations.

“For a long time, I thought everyone was like me. I could see and hear and smell these people,” AlFalasi said about his hallucinations. “But then I discovered, no, I'm special.

“My parents started to call me the possessed boy. My father said, ‘You need to go to the Imam so he can pray for you,’ or ‘You need to start reading Qur’an.’ They thought it’s black magic, like a djinn.”

Nothing helped, and AlFalasi began to identify with the moniker.

A literal stroke of luck was what led AlFalasi’s assessment for mental illness and a diagnosis.

“When I was 28, I had a sudden stroke while I was driving back home. When I was hospitalised, they did a full check-up, including a psychiatric one. They were confused why I had a stroke at this age,” he said.

After 17 years of suffering, and assessments by multiple doctors, it was Dr. Nahida Ahmed at SEHA, Abu Dhabi, Al Maqta Healthcare Center who diagnosed him with bipolar Schizoaffective disorder, along with epilepsy, PTSD, panic attacks, and social anxiety. It would be the first step on the long road to treat his illness.

For Anna Marie Lopes, a 37-year-old freelance digital marketing specialist, an abusive relationship was the trigger.

Married at 19, initially her former husband used such tactics as criticism and manipulation disguised as love and care to control her. A year into their marriage, he became physically abusive.

“With trauma, it’s essential for others to validate your experience, or else you’re re-victimised by the stigma. Trauma heals through safe relationships, and I hope that by sharing and listening to others, I can provide that safe relationship to help someone else heal.”