When the revolution broke out and toppled the tyrant ruler, most Tunisians felt ease and comfort. Two years later, however, a large number of people frequent psychiatric clinics and the consumption of sedative drugs and antidepressants are on the rise.
Salwa, a 42-year-old physics teacher in a Tunis high school decided to visit a psychiatrist six months ago because of the depression, insomnia and stress she suffered inside the school, over and above the unbearable pressure of daily life.
When the revolution broke out and toppled the tyrant ruler, most Tunisians felt ease and comfort. Two years later, however, a large number of people frequent psychiatric clinics and the consumption of sedative drugs and antidepressants are on the rise.
Salwa, a 42-year-old physics teacher in a Tunis high school decided to visit a psychiatrist six months ago because of the depression, insomnia and stress she suffered inside the school, over and above the unbearable pressure of daily life.
“I have spent 14 years in the field of education, but I have never hated my job as I do now,” she said. “Especially after the revolution, where it has become more difficult to handle the students who have turned more impudent. They no longer fear the administration, the professors, and not even their parents. This is very serious since it reflects on students’ educational level as well as teachers’ performance,” Salwa said.
According to psychiatrist Reem Ghasham, Head of the Psychiatrist Association, feelings of worry and restlessness are often a result of the tumultuous and uncertain times following the revolution. “There have been successive and fast-moving developments new to Tunisians, such as insecurity, instability, political assassinations, a rising cost of living, and uncertain future vision,” Ghasham said.
The number of patients visiting Razi Hospital for Mental and Neurological Illnesses increased by 20 %, compared to the figures registered before the revolution, according to Ghasham. “The number of medical consultations rose from 2,956 cases in 2009 to 3,190 in 2012. Emergency cases also rose from 9,400 to 10,300,” she added.
Ghasham suggested that the number of attendees at psychiatric clinics and hospitals substantially increased in the aftermath of the assassination of political and human rights activist Shoukri Belaid last February in broad daylight in front of his house.
Chairman of Razi Hospital Medical Committee Dr. Fadel Murad said that the number of psychological counseling cases received at that public hospital continued to rise, amounting to 146,000 cases in 2012, compared to 139,000 in 2011, and the number of inpatients rose from 2,560 in 2011 to 2,644 in 2012 (at the request of patients’ families), from 1,508 to 2,220 (on judicial orders), and from 1,998 to 2,223 (free admission). He also suggested that most of those patients came from the capital and its environs.
“Despite the previously prevalent culture of refusing to visit psychiatric clinics, Tunisians no longer mind going to these clinics to seek tranquilizers and sleeping pills, given that a significant part of them suffered from symptoms of insomnia,” Ghasham said.
This, says Ghasham, explains the high demand for anti-depressant drugs although official authorities have not yet revealed the size of consumed quantities of these drugs in the past two years.
She also stressed the outbreak of several psychological illnesses among Tunisians, such as anxiety and mental disorders, including schizophrenia and mood disorders, in addition to psychological pressure, arising from social turmoil and rapid changes, as well as the rising cost of living, and an unclear political situation.
Ghasham believed that the lack of a clear future vision could lead patients to go from psychological pressure to chronic depression which might, in advanced cases, lead to suicides.
The most vulnerable
As far as the most social groups that frequent psychiatric hospitals and clinics are concerned, Ghasham said: “We have observed a large demand for these clinics by policemen since January 15, 2011, one day after Ben Ali’s flight, where 40% of them are exposed to alarming situations, such as death threats, torture and other forms of intimidation.”
The second category includes professors and educators, which Ghasham attributed to the fact that the revolution removed the fear barrier even among students and pupils who became more impudent and disrespectful towards their teachers, in addition to the violence committed by parents against teachers. These situations have caused teachers to seek psychiatrists’ assistance in overcoming their lost influence within educational institutions, according to Ghasham.
“I have become more nervous when dealing with my son and husband. I have therefore decided to see a psychiatrist to help me overcome these obstacles, and I am actually feeling better, because I can now adapt myself to the new reality of Tunisia after the revolution,” she explained.
