When the Egyptian film Hob el-Banat (Girls’ Love) came out in 2004, it highlighted how people receiving treatment at psychiatric clinics often feared being judged by society.
Starring Leila Elwi, the movie follows three half-sisters who share the same father but different mothers.
They meet for the first time after their father’s death and discover that each of them is struggling with emotional problems.
Their neighbour, played by Ashraf Abdel Baqi, is a psychiatrist. The sisters keep visiting him secretly to talk about their pain, hiding it from one another.
If this was just a movie scene, imagine what it is like for those living it every day, carrying heavy psychological pain but staying silent because they are afraid of the stigma. Should they keep suffering alone, or should they have a safe place to speak openly, be heard, and get help without fear or judgment?
The Ministry of Health has been working hard to break this old stigma around seeking mental health support.
It has created a national e-mental health platform that offers online consultations, early detection of depression and addiction, and a dedicated hotline for psychological counselling.
Last week, the ministry launched “Sehetak Saadatak” (Your Health is Your Happiness) clinics inside public hospitals under the General Secretariat for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment.
The message is clear: it is completely normal to visit these clinics when you need help for your emotional struggles.
Minister of Health Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar described the initiative as an important step towards treating mental health as equally important as physical health.
“The goal is to provide integrated services to all citizens, including awareness, early detection, psychological support, and treatment,” the minister said during the opening of the clinics.
He added that the programme targets different groups, such as children, young people, women, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses, with services tailored to their needs.
Leading psychiatrist Hesham Maged welcomed the new clinics.
“Many people, especially young people, urgently need easy access to psychological support without complications or social shame, especially with all the pressures of life today,” he told the Egyptian Mail.
According to the latest official figures from the Ministry of Health, around 25% of Egyptians suffer from various psychological symptoms or disorders.
Depression is the most common, making up nearly 44% of cases, followed by substance use disorders at over 30%, and anxiety at around 25%.
Dr Maged has been practicing since 2000. He said attitudes are slowly changing.
Many people, he said, still hold out-dated beliefs that visiting a psychiatrist means you are “mad,” but things are improving.
“When I started working, people were very reluctant to come to the clinic,” he said.
“Now, however, it’s much better. The number of patients has increased a lot in the past seven or eight years, and most of them are young people,” he added.
He believes economic pressures and worries about the future are behind much of the anxiety among youth.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a psychological problem,” Maged stressed. “Support from family is very important too.”
He also warned that depression should never be taken lightly, as it can lead to suicidal thoughts if left without support.
According to him, real change will only happen when society, and patients themselves, start viewing mental health issues differently.
