ZCZC
BSS-13
WOMEN-MENTAL HEALTH (UNICEF FEATURE)
Awareness about women’s mental health is a must
DHAKA, June 20, 2021 (BSS) – Alia Aziz, who lives in the city’s Green Road area, suffered from loneliness since she became pregnant.
During the pregnancy period, the 34-year-old woman had to stay alone at her home the day’s most of the time and wait for her husband’s return from his office. At that time, she engrossed with various abnormal thoughts. But she didn’t feel any significant problem when her husband returns home.
Various changes took place among Alia after the birth of her child. During the time, she started thinking that how she will have her baby grow up alone? She couldn’t sleep keeping her child alone and thought that someone will take away the baby.
“I was habituated to stay alone before becoming pregnant. But I used to feel insecurity to live lonely from the beginning of my pregnancy period to the birth of the child . . . I always thought could I manage everything alone?” she said.
Alia continued: “The problems intensified at that time as I didn’t share the issue with anyone . . . had anybody stayed beside me at that time, then I might have not suffered from such massive depression or taken treatment for the problem.”
Experts said that the mental health of the women could be obstructed in their life for several times. This problem could be serious for somebody before and after becoming mother as well as before and after menopause.
So, the women need to know how they will be careful about the mental health at those special periods, the experts said.
The Trauma Counselling Centre in 2014 conducted a research on the women of all ages and classes.
The research showed that in Bangladesh, depression works much more among the middle-aged married women. It said that less understanding of many of women with their husbands, economic crisis and concern about their own and children’s future are the reasons for the depression.
When asked how the women will face such a problem or stay well, former professor of Armed Forces Medical College and Hospital Brigadier General (retd) Dr Md Azizul Islam said every woman faces more or less mental pressure before and after becoming mother.
“Mental problems could develop among those who are unable to bear this pressure,” he said.
Dr Islam said to tackle this problem, the family of the pregnant woman should stay beside her and look after her complications. “She (the pregnant) won’t suffer from anxiety or insecurity if her family members remain beside her,” he opined.
He also said women could be sick mentally some days before or after stopping their menstruation permanently. “When the changes in hormone take place, the women start thinking that their life may be ending. They also think that they are losing beauty and their importance from the husband is reducing,” Dr Islam said.
He said that the women at that time may feel heat suddenly with sweating of their hands and legs, while their anxiety increases and suffer from sleeplessness. “They could be sick physically and mentally if they cannot adapt with the matters,” he said.
Head of the Trauma Counselling Centre and Clinical Psychologist Ismat Jahan said on behalf of the government, they are providing advices and medicare services directly or over phone to the women suffering from mental problems.
“We’ve nine regional trauma counselling centres in the country. These are in Dhaka, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Rangpur, Faridpur, Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet and Rajshahi, while a process is underway to set up such a centre in Mymensingh,” she said.
Jahan said the women need to be careful and take treatment during these special periods.
The experts, however, opined that it is possible to keep mental health well if the life is evaluated by positive outlook through adapting with the situation and giving attention to the relevant issues.
BSS/UNICEF FEATURE/SH/GMR/1259 hrs