New Delhi: Pakistani doctors, journalists, and social media commentators are up in arms against popular actor Resham after she publicly declared on national television that there was no such thing as depression.
“I always say to people, I believe depression doesn’t even exist. Distance from God is called depression,” she said on PTV Home’s Guest at Home on 24 March with hosts Juggan Kazim and Sami Khan.
Her remedy was to “cry before God”. “Whenever you feel depressed or feel anything really, you should sit on the prayer mat and cry before God,” she said.
Her apathy to a debilitating mental health problem did not go down well with viewers. In an editorial, Pakistani national daily Dawn said that “just because someone is depressed, doesn’t mean they aren’t close to God.
“Religion is a very personal thing and we understand that Resham was talking about her personal relationship with God but to make this sweeping statement on a widely watched show wasn’t the best course of action,” said the editorial.
Heart attack exist nahi karta, haqeeqat mein wo aapke ex ka diya hua dard e disco hai pic.twitter.com/REEZU7hYk4
— Syed Zain Raza (@SydZainRaza) March 27, 2023
Pakistan reportedly has one of the highest rates of mental health diseases in the world. A 2016 report from Dawn estimated that 50 million people in Pakistan are dealing with mental health problems.
On Twitter, one user called it a “flagrant display of ignorance that perpetuates the stigma surrounding a debilitating illness.”
Another, however, said that Resham was only voicing what 95% of Pakistanis think.
“At this point, education is the answer. We need to create more awareness about clinical depression, how different it is from situational depression & its seriousness,” a user Saqib Jamil tweeted.
Her comments also sparked a discussion on depression and Islam. “Resham could have said that Muslims should not get depressed because reading Quran and praying can help.”
Doubling down on the backlash, Resham posted a statement on Instagram reiterating her views.
“For me, the solution of every problem is to love and attachment to Allah, whether it is depression or any other problem, maybe some people did not understand my point.”
She urged critics to “hold” their energy for “something positive”.
Pakistani actor Resham is no stranger to controversy. In September last year, she was caught littering a river while on her way to conduct flood relief work in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Ironically, she outed herself. She had posted several videos on Facebook, one which showed her opening and tossing meat and bread into a river before throwing the plastic packaging as well. She later apologised and blamed her behaviour on ‘brain fog’.
Also read: ‘Brain fogged’ Pakistani actor Resham litters flood-affected river. Gives bizarre apology