Rizwan

Rizwan first shared his story with The MINDS Foundation, a non-governmental organization that fights to eliminate stigma and provide educational, medical, and moral support for patients with mental health issues in rural India. Mental health affects 200 million people in India and MINDS aims to show that it is possible to live a functional, fruitful life with a mental health condition. Like us, they believe sharing one’s personal experience helps to reduce stigma.

First symptoms of GAD & Panic attacks:

“When I was around 22 – 23 years old, that is somewhere back in 2016-17, I would feel restless, and would feel like my body wasn’t much under my control, there was a constant feeling of tiredness. I would have irrational thoughts, would stress about little things, and I would also feel pain in my muscles, that’s when a nearby doctor in my area, suggested me to visit Sion hospital, as there were no physical  health issues, that led to the pain. It was when my friends probed me to visit the psychiatry ward, as they felt I was living in an unhealthy situation, did I seek help.”

How it all began:

“I am the second son in my family, of the three and since my father’s death, I have been the sole breadwinner of the house. I have been working since I was 14 years old. Although two older sisters are married, the youngest of all still remains, and in India, it’s a task to save for a girl’s marriage. Because I wasn’t able to study post 7th grade, earlier I used to do all kinds of small jobs, like packaging and the like, just to earn as much to be able to feed my family. Later upon learning a little, I am now an electrician.”

Living with the disorder:

“My symptoms, hampered my work life, as well. I couldn’t travel by train alone, and would constantly feel that I wasn’t performing well at work. To deal with all this I would resort to smoking, chewing tobacco and I also once consumed Alcohol, in 2017. But since I am on medication, I feel relieved of most of my symptoms. Within a year and a half, I felt like about 50% of them were remitted.”

Remission:

“Currently, I am off any kind of substance abuse, instead I chew gum and can even travel alone, without vague apprehensions or any unwanted pain. The thoughts have reduced, considerably, but if there is an environmental trigger, the panic begins, but the intensity has significantly reduced.”

Interview by Yalnaaz Lakdawala