Hey, guys, did you hear? After it struck off schizophrenia as a legit mental disorder, our judiciary might as well rule that Cancer would no longer be considered a deadly disease because it was ‘recoverable’ and highly susceptible to ‘levels of stress’. I mean, here I am trying to shine some light on the disastrous effects of the various anxiety disorders that ail the women of the One Percent face, while the highest court of the land rolls up its sleeves and goes after the big guns - nay, the biggest gun - of bad mental health. What’s craziest about this whole thing is that it is a major slap in the face of (literally) all science as it is known to man. And even if the Court didn’t have the time (or the patience) to WebMD the signs and symptoms of Schizophrenia, it could have at least organised a screening of A Beautiful Mind or One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Something like that would not only be educational, it would be super fun as well.
You know, what bugs me most about this whole thing is how the SC used ‘stress’ as a reason to downplay Schizophrenia. Hello! Stress is mad dangerous in and of itself. After all, it does directly impact our nervous system *facepalm*. So, basically, our autonomic nervous system (ANS) - the part of our nervous system that controls involuntary actions like breathing and digestion - has two branches, the sympathetic ANS and the parasympathetic ANS. The sympathetic ANS helps us handle stress by producing a ‘flight or fight’ response whereas the parasympathetic ANS basically takes over to lower our heart rate and calm our nerves afterwards (see? Even I did my research and my decision doesn’t threaten anybody’s life!). Anyway, sometimes the sympathetic ANS goes into overdrive and that, my friends, is seriously bad news.
Treatment opportunities for patients with mental health problems remain medieval in many parts of the country
“Beta, I need you to do me a favor,” Mona Churri exclaimed, breathless.
“What’s up mama? I was just about to go to bed,” I lied, hoping to evade whatever task she was going to put me up to.
“I just checked and I’m out of Lexotanil. I can’t sleep without it Zara, you need to go to the pharmacy and get it right now, please!”
“Mama, it’s midnight. Zubair has locked the gates and gone to the back. How will I take the car out? Can’t you sleep without it tonight?”
“No, please go get it. I’ll open the gate for you myself.”
“What about Abu? He’s going to get mad that I left the house at midnight all by myself without a driver. Can’t you go?”
“No Zara, your father will get upset if I leave the house right now and I can’t afford another fight. I’ll tell him you needed something from the pharmacy. Just please go now! I’m coming down to open the gate.”
Pakistan is set to execute a prisoner suffering from schizophrenia after the judicial ruling that this does not qualify as a mental illness
***
Friends, the dangers of stress are worse than you can imagine (I’m officially freaked out). Apart from the obvious mental symptoms - headaches, debilitating thoughts, onset of anxiety and depression - stress has some ridiculous physical drawbacks. The constant bombardment of stress can lead to abnormally high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), which, if left untreated, can initiate a stroke, kidney failure or a heart attack. Plus, when in stress, the body produces high levels of hormones Cortisol and Adrenaline that trigger the heartbeat and increase the chances of cardiac arrest (yes, it’s a double whammy). But hold on, it gets worse. Stress hormones can lead to bad skin (I kid you not). Studies have shown that stress can seriously aggravate skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema and acne (no wonder women wait longer for an appointment with famed Lahori dermatologist Dr. Haroon Nabi than teens do in line to catch a glimpse of Justin Bieber). Wait, there’s even more. Stress has been known to suppress the immune system, which makes the body very vulnerable to infections, and it can lead to stomach troubles, muscle pains, weight fluctuations, asexuality (!!!) and infertility (the list goes on and on).
What bugs me most about this whole thing is how the Court used 'stress' as a reason to downplay Schizophrenia
