Omar Kalash | Staff Writer
The Lebanese spirit takes pride in its resilience in the face of adversity and war. Nevertheless, does being resilient mean that we are unaffected? Are we ignoring the cracks in the foundation in an attempt to show strength? It is no secret that every generation in Lebanon has faced war and is privy to its ugly, cyclical consequences. Our grandparents lived through occupation, our parents hid in bomb shelters during the civil war, and now, we live in a time of great uncertainty. It is true that, in the face of all this chaos, we manage, and we survive. However, what does survival truly mean when the mind is left in ruins?
The issue lies in the fact that some of our battle wounds are not physical. Looking past the destruction and chaos, there is a rising mental health epidemic. Our people are still struggling, even after the smoke has settled. That is, disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression are at an all-time high. A systematic review by Shaar (2013) revealed that PTSD within Lebanese adolescents has increased with time as they became exposed to multiple wars, demolishing of homes, displacement, loss of family members, and other atrocities. With the recent war in 2024, the Lebanese people have once again been subjected to brutal adversity. A recent report published by EMBRACE (November 2024) has indicated that Lebanese citizens who were displaced are experiencing severe psychological disorders at a larger rate. Still, mental disorders remain neglected and stigmatized.
Fortitude and perseverance are the cornerstones of Lebanese identity, passed down from generation to generation. Yet, somehow, this cycle of endurance has fueled our self-perpetuating mental health crisis. War has tainted our resolve, turning strength into fragility, like termites silently eating away at the trunk of a mighty cedar tree. Lebanese people underestimate the importance of mental wellbeing and willingly choose to ignore these invisible wounds. Unaddressed PTSD negatively impacts self-care, personal interactions, relationships, and other aspects of community life (Jellestad et al., 2021). This weakens the individual, and their behavior becomes an unhealthy coping mechanism hindering any true recovery.
Faced with such battles to fight, we are left with open wounds that are neglected and untreated. But who is to blame? This is in part due to our culture of taboo surrounding psychological injury and wellbeing. Numerous symptoms of PTSD such as nightmares, panic attacks, and emotional numbness, are romanticized and dismissed as side effects of a “strong” nation. In a society where therapy is stigmatized, the only solution to mental anguish is to endure and survive, not to heal.
Even when some are capable of recognizing their distress, they are often told that others have it worse. How can I complain when there are people starving, and the country is in shambles? One cannot be faulted for thinking this way; however, it is this mentality that leads to the silencing and shaming that cripples our desperate need for healing.
The main question remains: how do we begin to break the cycle of generational trauma to restore our peace? A great start would be to acknowledge the existence of the issue itself. Once we are capable of viewing our scars as psychological injuries that are real and in need of treatment, then, we can start to remedy them. This will allow us to understand the inner conflict within and see that it is not a personal shortcoming. To further this, we have to collectively come to the realization that our common trauma is a societal responsibility. There must be a place for this conversation in our homes and schools, and seldom must we keep it in the shadows.
Beyond the community level, this discourse must reach our policymakers to the effect of enacting palpable change within our institutions. NGOs and civic engagement have provided valuable interventions, by offering support and spreading awareness; however, this is still not enough. Structural change is needed, and the government should be obligated to provide it. Without said change, the burden falls on the individual – and in our society, that only feeds into the cycle of generational trauma. If we want to heal our society, we can no longer allow those in power to ignore mental health struggles, minimize them, or consider them as “less important” or “secondary.”
Finally, and most importantly, we must redefine our conception of resilience. It is not strong to ignore our pain and pretend that it is not there. In fact, strength lies in acknowledging the pain and seeking help. Breaking the cycle so the next generation does not inherit the same unspoken wounds would be the greatest resilience of all…
References
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.4081/jphr.2013.e17
https://embracelebanon.org//Media/publications/pdfs/2302f330-eedf-452c-88ce-1a32ccd9422a.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395621000509
Photo by Sleiman Al-Khatib: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-holding-his-face-7733262/