“Complete desolation.” “Sheer humiliation.” “Life is bleak and meaningless.” These were the revelations of three depressed women I Interviewed under the clutches of societal flaws and stigmas in Bangladesh.
In order to understand the manifestation of mental illnesses in any type of setting, it is essential to understand the circumstances that shape an individual, with culture being a monumental precursor for poor mental health. Structural oppression, poverty, and homelessness are the leading causes of depression in Bangladesh (Selim, 2010). However, these are merely a catalyst for the mental disease; cultural processes encourage the development of psychopathology. The stigmatization of mental illnesses in the Bangladeshi community is an aspect of culture that constantly works hard to keep depression preserved. In fact, as a result of this constant stigma, many Bangladeshis are demonstrating somatization – an outward manifestation of mental illness, such as headaches and muscle pain, that have no identifiable physical cause. This phenomenon hints that there are much more serious and subconscious occurrences that are impeccable for the deterioration of one’s mental health, especially that of a woman’s. Continue reading The Somatization of Mental Illnesses in Bangladeshi Women
I coded and created a website from scratch that entails all the components to my project beyond my thesis. This website includes the interview video I created, a hip hop feminism themed photo project, a blog with excerpts from my thesis, the Instagram account and a write-up about my hip hop feminism event at Macaulay Honors College: http://fmundergrad.hunter.cuny.edu/~dialloa/final_project/index.html. Continue reading to find my full thesis paper below.
