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Yes, depression can kill you
In accordance with World Health Organization (WHO), depression is all set to become the second most fatal disease by 2020 with only coronary heart problems preceding it. These figures are alarming as...
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Lahore’s Dar-ul-Sukun, now an institute of torture and abuse
If one begins to think about welfare institutions in Pakistan, Dar-ul-Sukun definitely comes to mind. It is located within the premises of the Punjab Welfare Society, Lahore. It houses psychiatric...
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ADHD: Why can’t you sit still kid?
While growing up, in school, did you ever notice that distracted, uninterested class mate, who would just not sit still, was annoyingly talkative and almost always failed in studies? Did you follow up...
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Stop ridiculing the mentally ill
Individuals with mental health disorders are often the victims of violence and there is wide-spread discrimination directed towards them, whether by intent, ignorance or insensitivity. They are often...
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Do you need a ‘reason’ to be depressed?
‘An unemployed man, tired of the financial crises, hangs himself to death.’ ‘A woman takes her own life before killing her children due to conflicts and problems at home’. ‘A jilted lover shoots...
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Busting myths on World Mental Health Day 2014
Every year on October 10th, people all over the world commemorate World Mental Health Day to raise awareness of mental illnesses and to support efforts for their treatments. Psychiatry, the branch of...
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Moving on from trauma, moving on from Peshawar
The Taliban’s brutal attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16, 2014 claimed the lives of over 140 people including 132 children. While hundreds of survivors of this mass shooting...
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When I had to save myself from depression
My colleague said something (not) funny again and the room roared with laughter. Knowing that I did not share the mood in the room, I grabbed my tea and headed for the corridor. That long corridor with...
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Is prayer a better way to deal with depression than treatment from a mental...
I’d like you to take a moment to imagine two people. Both follow the same religious scripture, with equal regularity yet one interprets the passages as peaceful instructions on life, while the other...
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I had to wait over a year for a journalist visa to India
May 5, 2016 On the phone, the clerk is confused. “I’m calling about my visa status,” I tell him, and he asks a standard question – “When did you submit the application?” “May 5, 2015,” I say, reciting...
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Our minorities, but not our people
Avinash Kumar and Sateesh Kumar; these were the two latest victims of the undeniably worsening trend of minority persecution in Pakistan. Seventeen-year-old Sateesh is dead. The two boys were targeted...
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Should the internet be the one teaching our children about ‘the birds and the...
You know they say that ‘hormonal teenagers’ is a cliché? And do you know what they say about clichés? They say that most clichés are true. And they are. And hormonal teenagers are the truest clichés...
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I am trapped in a cycle of suicidal thoughts
I am travelling back from a long day at work. I have my window pulled down. Its dark outside and the wind is blowing directly in my face. I am exhausted and mentally drained. I have no energy left to...
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The most recent episode of Khuda Mera Bhi Hai made me cry
Yes, the recent episode of Khuda Mera Bhi Hai made me cry. The plot of this drama revolves around a couple, Mahgul and Zain, who give birth to a child who is ‘intersex’, which means that this child has...
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13 Reasons Why: If someone told you they were in pain, what would you do?
She is laying in a tub, fully clothed, the water filled to the brim. Her heart is beating; her hands are shaking as she scrapes the blade onto her wrists. There is blood everywhere. There’s blood on...
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Why people today depend on lazy virtual friendships and Facebook ‘likes’
As I grow older, I’ve realised that one genuine friend matters more than the amount of friends you have. Real friendships, sincere ones, make all the difference to our lives. However, I’ve realised...
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Is there a leadership failure in the Indian Army?
Recently, there was a fratricide incident in the Kashmir valley. A jawan (soldier) was reprimanded by his superior officer for using a cell phone on duty. In return, the jawan shot him. This...
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Does going to a psychologist mean that one is “crazy” or “weak”?
Whenever I tell someone I am a psychologist, I usually get one of two responses: “Can you tell what I’m thinking right now?” “You must be pretty crazy to deal with so many crazies!” I recently went to...
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My hidden miscarriage left me broken and alone – while he moved on, happily
I waited too long to write this story. Allow me to introduce myself. First-generation South Asian Muslim, daughter of two hard-working parents who just wanted to provide the best life for their...
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13 Reasons Why S2: A season of secrets, guilt and the power of kindness
The original Netflix series 13 Reasons Why released in March 2017 and took the world by storm. The show started an international dialogue about bullying, sexual assault, substance abuse and suicide....
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