To suffer from a mental health disorder is to lack the resources to deal with the struggles of daily life.

Sometimes, simple acts such as getting out of bed, let alone driving or going to work, require an insane amount of energy. Depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia are mental health disorders. Usually, when they are diagnosed, they can be treated.

Problem is, in most cases, people are not aware that they suffer from a mental health disorder. They say things such as: “I’m just tired, I’m stressed, I just need to rest”… Worse, society does not recognize the signs and just expects them to “ysheddo 7alon”, i.e. be strong.

In Lebanon, at least 1 out of 4 Lebanese will develop a mental disorder at some point in their lives. But only 1 in 10 of them will get treated (source: Idraac), mainly because they are not aware of it.

So here are 8 signs that you or one of your closed one might be suffering from a mental health disorder.

Infographics: Clara Aubepard

  1. You’re having intense negative feelings (such as fear, sadness, or anxiety) for no reason and over a long period of time

2) You’re putting on or losing a lot of weight

3) You become aggressive for no reason

4) You abuse substances (drugs, alcohol, or others)

5) You have trouble sleeping or you sleep too much

6) You have obsessive and compulsive thoughts  

7) You have trouble memorizing things and reasoning in a clear and logical way

8) You often feel lethargic, with no energy to do things

If you think that you or your a loved one suffer from one or several of these symptoms, you can check our list of organizations and people who can help you.

And in case of emergency, you can reach out to Embrace’s hotline: 1564 (every day from noon till 2:00 am)

#youarenotalone