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| VillageVoice |
Posted
on 06-Oct-02 09:25 AM
Hi folks,
These are no easy times to be Nepalis. The country is going through teething problems of an infanct democracy. While 10 or 15 years may not be a long time in a life of a nation, it's helluva lot in an individual's life.
Just taking a leaf out of Sept 11. It's psychological effects on individuals have been well documented, and New York City, for one, has launched such programs as Project Liberty - which provides free (?) counseling those suffering from post-traumatic effects of 9/11.
I don't have either facts or figures at my disposal, but commonsense tells me that Nepalis have been through helluva a lot in the the last ten years or so, esp. since 1996 when the Maoists launched their so called people's war. Violence and deaths have now become routine daily doses.
How has that affected Nepalis' mental health, their sense of well being - the elderlies, adults, children ? Who are particularly vulnerable - children or adolescencnts, men, women? What is being done in schools, colleges, communities - if at all??
I would like to hear anecdotal stories and share your experiences/knowledge.
The other day I was pleasantly surprised to find out from a friend (with professional experience on counseling) that she's trying to provide e-conselling to Nepalis (in Nepal). (Of course we didn't discuss either the nature of her counseling or the people she was trying to help.) But I found that idea praiseworthy.
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| SimpleGal |
Posted
on 06-Oct-02 10:23 AM
VillageVoiceJi,
Many thanks to you for broaching this topic. Indeed, these are times of upheaval, not just in our political arena, but its repercussions on the mental well-being of Nepalis, both at home and abroad.
I was in Nepal this summer working with adolescents. My agenda of research was quite antithetical to what emerged from the group discussions. However the contents of the often divergent trajectory of talk was helpful in understanding what and how the current (and past) sociopolitical events have impacted the lives of this particular developmental subset of Nepali people. I can't speak for how it may have, if at all, affected those on either side of the developmental continuum (namely, children and adults). But as far as adolescents are concerned, the chameleon-like turn of events (the Maoist insurgency, the royal massacre, and even global tragedies like 9/11, and on-going civil /ethnic wars in various countries) has immensely tainted their outlook, both today and esp. for tomorrow. Essentially, the sense of stability that other generations of the past enjoyed (although every generation had its share of uncertainties) is staggering for them. The need to "escape" is escalating--remember, adolescents are fundamentally idealistic. That is the bliss and bane of that specific stage of life. And it is this very core aspect of their value system that is under menace with the volatility of past and present events. Many of them envision foreign countries as providing some form of refuge (or subterfuge, rather) and promise for betterment. But then again, there is some tentativeness in that recourse as well. Genderwise, I noticed males as having been influenced to a greater degree than females. I will have to look into reasons for that. Right now, it can be hypothesized that the male sense of autonomy (we then get into socialization versus nativity—a topic for another day!) is additionally being affected.
The saving grace, given our "collective" orientation to values and support system, is that Nepalis on average have families/relatives and so forth to rely on. That sense of support is very important, and more so for the adolescent, when stability is faltering. Seeking professional counselling is something I highly recommend--but it's imperative to attempt for solutions within a reliable, supportive, comfortable, and "familial" setting first. I am saying this because resorting to counselling is still enormously stigmatized in our culture. In the meantime, families should take on the responsibility of reassuring their teenager. Often times, the adolescent will not speak out his/her opinions. And it can be an arduous task to accomplish! But what is quintessential is Patience, and the eagerness to Listen, indiscriminately.
In peace.
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| VillageVoice |
Posted
on 06-Oct-02 11:37 AM
Simplegal, very insightful.
#The saving grace, given our "collective" orientation to values and support system, is that Nepalis on average have families/relatives and so forth to rely on. That sense of support is very important, and more so for the adolescent, when stability is faltering.
Seeking professional counselling is something I highly recommend--but it's imperative to attempt for solutions within a reliable, supportive, comfortable, and "familial" setting first. I am saying this because resorting to counselling is still enormously stigmatized in our culture. In the meantime, families should take on the responsibility of reassuring their teenager. Often times, the adolescent will not speak out his/her opinions. And it can be an arduous task to accomplish! But what is quintessential is Patience, and the eagerness to Listen, indiscriminately. #
Indeed counselling is pretty much a stigma in our culture and that adds to pressure when some do decide to seek professional help. You said you worked with adolescents ( I think that's probably the most vulnerable age group). Just wondering where was the focus (location, city/village, east/west, hill/terai) and if you could share some anecdotal stories?
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| SimpleGal |
Posted
on 06-Oct-02 12:24 PM
VVji,
You correctly observed that the adolescent population is the most vulnerable age group. And for the reasons I mentioned ealier, among many others.
I worked mainly in the Kathmandu valley. It was a "maiden" project, both of its kind in Nepal, and for me as a researcher in Nepal. Therefore, I had to confine the sample to the city. I do hope to return later and expand the project to include variables such as location, education level, and so forth that will hopefully extend the scope of understanding adolescents in our nation.
In terms of anecdotes, what specifically sticks out in my mind is the vehemence of the boys group as they steered the conversation from the domain of the research question to what "really mattered" to them. One particularly agitated young boy said (STRICT paraphrasing):
Instead of talking about topic X, why don't we spend our time productively in talking about all the hatred and killing in our country? We can't pretend that everything is hunky-dory, and shut our eyes to what's really eating us inside.
It was a jolting statement, both for the group and for me. No sugar-coating reality, is what he emphatically said. And of course, it was a highly pertinent remark that dictated the course of the discussion that followed. I cannot divulge details of the discussion (for confidentiality purposes) but what I would like to share is that the disclosures were at once painful, with the participants becoming disconcerted, and inflamatory. So, you can see the kind of instability and uncertainty that they are experiencing, on a microlevel, at least. And these were educated adolescents from middle/uppermiddle class families of variant castes, and religious beliefs. One can only speculate what the same age group from different parts of Nepal, and less privileged in more ways than one, must be undergoing!
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