Arabic website “The Elephant” uses audio stories for education and healing

Mental health is not a luxury: Arab website “The Elephant” uses audio stories to educate and heal

Mental illness can be isolated. As society always increases the importance of being resilient and strong, these are often the times when we are most vulnerable to loneliness.

It’s when you can’t get out of bed. You cannot work or continue your day or your tasks. You cannot explain to anyone the pain you are feeling or why you are not sustaining your relationships and friendships. When the time comes when everyone in your life begins to turn away because of your illness, you realize that asking for help is not a “weakness” and is the only way out of isolation. Gain an understanding of people and experts with mental illness.

Elephant is one of the leading platforms in the Arab world that works to stigmatize the mind and create a safe and open space for dialogue and knowledge exchange.

The original series ‘The Elephant’, produced by Storytel MENA, features real life stories anonymously presented by Arabs, helping to bridge the gap between professional help and the needy, and joins the team of psychiatrists and psychologists to fight against mental illness. The project is supported by the D-Jill Fund, managed by CFI, a subsidiary of the French group Medias Monte, which actively promotes media development in Africa and the Arab world.

The metaphor of the Western word “elephant in the room” refers to a huge problem that takes up a lot of space and is still overlooked, in which case the word “elephant” (elephant) refers to mental health, a widely polluting subject in the world. Arab World.

One-step report According to the World Health Organization, one in four people worldwide will suffer from a mental or neurological disorder at some point in their life, but the stigma and discrimination experienced by nearly two-thirds of people with a known mental illness do not receive help from a healthcare professional.

This is why tackling the loneliness and stigma associated with mental illness is one of the most powerful ways to support mental health, as it helps people feel more motivated to seek help and to seek help. understand that they are not really “alone”. In other words, taking care of your mental health is not a luxury or a privilege, but realizing that it is just as important as physical health.

“We started by creating original content, identifying what people need that cannot be found anywhere else, and we have found that there is a lack of content on mental health in the Arab world, by especially with engaging content that is reliable, informative and easy. Several sites that spoke of Sarah Refaat, the project manager, in an interview with Egyptian Streets on Personal Development and Light Mental Health Treatment. We can see it, but it is not credible and does not work with experts to provide targeted and specific support.

Elephant treats and covers various issues such as bulimia, schizophrenia, claustrophobia, depression, anxiety, kleptomania and postpartum depression, and provides audio to your social media on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and all recent podcasts. Talk about the elephant in, to encourage people to move forward and help change the stories around mental health.

“We wanted to focus on creating content that is relevant to people, but at the same time trustworthy. For example, if I am an anxious person, I would like to hear other stories and learn more about the symptoms, and understand whether it is a personality disorder or not. The team of psychologists and psychiatrists who are following this case, with the aim of helping people to understand more deeply the underlying causes and how to treat them, and how we can treat them, is the first step in collecting information. basic information about people, then Get help. We encourage them, ”added Refaat.

Audio content, including audiobooks and podcasts, is growing faster than the overall media and entertainment market. By 2020, Deloitte expects the global audiobook market to grow 25% to $ 3.5 billion, and the global audio streaming market to grow 30% to $ 1.1 billion, or annual growth of 25 to 30%.

With this growing demand for audio, Al Feel audio content often breaks the stereotype of mental content led by over-the-top psychiatrists / psychologists or personal development trainers, as it focuses on the history and experiences of fighters. mental illness. Focusing on the story and the experience, it is no longer about the character of a famous psychologist or practitioner, but around the experience of mental illness and allowing others to understand and understand these experiences.

The Arab Youth Survey 2020 reveals that almost two-fifths (38%) of young Arabs will be diagnosed with psychological problems such as anxiety or depression, and 31% in 2019. It is essential to promote access to quality mental health services, but it also proves that access to mental health should not be considered a luxury because it is more frequent than the figures show. In addition, the survey found that nearly half (48 percent) of Arab youth who seek medical help for mental health issues are viewed negatively by most people in their country.

In Egypt, the topic of mental health began to generate awareness as the topic was approached through the role of GC, who suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the popular series of Ramadan this year “Kali Balak Men GC”. . However, the stigma of mental illness runs deep in society as it requires a serious and coordinated national effort involving health agencies, the criminal justice system, employers, schools and the media. The most recent national initiative to introduce a national mental health policy dates back to 2020, when the Egyptian House of Representatives agreed to amend some rules of Mental Health Law No. 71 of 2009 to create a National Council. for mental health to protect people from abuse abuse.

Rifaat notes that despite being a taboo subject, the film achieved early success due to audience involvement and how much the content helped people understand their experiences and struggles, allowing them to feel better about themselves. realize that they were not alone. “We have helped create a safe place to talk about mental health, and no judgment has been passed because so many people have tried to share their stories and join our efforts. We want to change the stories. We need to help people understand that mental health is very serious and you need to take the necessary steps to take care of yourself. “

“It’s about improving the community’s understanding and empathy for others. And after people approached us and heard these stories, their perception of people started to change, and they told us that they started to feel more empathy.

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