Erasing Stigma of Mental Health in Armenia Is Hard Work

There are many issues that are affecting the population of Armenia emotionally, Purutyan said. “The issues that cause a struggle in Armenia are distinct” from those in the US, she explained. Between wars and the earthquake, not to mention a tough economic outlet, the population has gone through much.

The main issues that the population in Armenia faces in terms of mental health are depression, anxiety and substance abuse, Gharibyan said.

Purutyan is a Workforce Development and Community Relations Specialist with the McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning at Framingham State University. She is also a board member of Girls Inc. of Worcester, which empowers girls to be strong, smart and bold.

Urging acceptance for everyone is a central tenet for the group. As Gharibyan explained, the NGO will also have “zero tolerance toward discrimination and take a scientific approach to help mental health,” he added.

The organization does not want to “reinvent the wheel” when it comes to providing mental health, he said, but to tailor it to Armenia specific cultural sensitivities. To that end, Gharibyan said, the group has launched a social media campaign about the benefits of receiving help for mental health as well as support for caregivers of those with mental health concerns.

Gharibyan said that the organization is actively fundraising to help spread their message and to implement their plans.

His reason is simple, he said: “Only a healthy society can be prosperous. Only if they have the tools and resources they need” can they succeed.

For example, he said, people need to understand that “living with schizophrenia does not make you a monster.”

The organization has gotten positive feedback, he said. For example, he noted, a young man wrote to the organization that “I was about to commit suicide and I saw your post,” and changed his mind. Such reactions, he said, “Melt my heart.”

One issue they are trying to tackle is that in Armenia, therapists or other mental health providers are not licensed. In addition, much of the care is provided on an inpatient basis at mental institutions rather than outpatient sessions.

“It is an out-of-date model,” he said. Once a sufferer is institutionalized, even temporarily, they can lose touch with their community, who can support them in this difficult time, he explained. At this difficult time, they said, the sufferers should not be “cut off from their community.”

Thus, Gharibyan said, they are offering campaigns and programs to “tackle the stigma and debunk myths.”

In addition, Gharibyan and Purutyan spoke about the need for finding a new language and framework to discuss mental health as well as neurodivergent conditions such as autism, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Another topic has been the mental health of gay youth, who often face ostracism in society in Armenia.

Another area being studied and implemented for Armenia is the psychological effect of genocide and generational trauma. Armenians, Gharibyan said, suffer from historically complex trauma passed down to the conscious and subconscious levels of the current generation.

To start the dialogue initially, MHAI hosted a livestream shortly after the war which registered as having only a dozen or so people watching. However, within a couple of hours, the program had racked up more than 1,000 viewers who could watch anonymously and submit questions without registering for the live viewing. Clearly, he said, there was a need for such programs, but participants still wanted anonymity.

The group has also worked on creating a suicide prevention hotline and is working toward establishing an emotional support number. By September, the phone number (8642) will be in place. The suicide hotline will not be 24/7 at the time being, since it does not have enough staffing.

“It is important to be able to step above my pain is greater than yours and to be able to connect with one another on a human level,” he said.

To learn more, visit mha.am/en.