Young man values help with mental health problems

Meet Barkatullah. He is 19 years old, and recently got married. Now, he lives with his wife in a shared house with his parents, in a remote district of Herat province. He is not a rich man, and spends his days farming.

For a few years, Barkatullah has been suffering from mental illness. His main problem was that he had attacks, or convulsions, especially when he experienced mental pressure at work or with his family. This created a ripple effect: because of these attacks, he was unable to sleep, and because he was unable to sleep, it became difficult for him to work, which resulted in him being unable to earn enough money. He had a negative opinion of his life and found himself suspicious of his family and friends.

His neighbour advised him to visit the Mental Health Clinic in Herat (MHTC-H) and he decided to go. After being assessed by the clinic team, he was introduced to the clinical psychologist in the clinic for counselling services. During one month, he had 4 counselling sessions and he feels that his life has changed in the following ways:

His convulsions, which were at least twice a day before, have ceased.
He feels that he can cope with his family situation and now enjoys being with his family more.
He has experienced the benefit of thinking positively, rather than negatively, about his life.

Barkatullah believes that the services at MHTC-H changed his life, allowing him to enjoy his life again. He is thankful for the services he received through MHTC-H. He is also certain that he would tell his neighbours and relatives to seek help from this clinic if they have Mental Health problems.

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