Some Deep Thinking About Smiling Depression

If you are not a keen observer, your family member who is an OFW may be suffering from smiling depression. Especially those working in the Middle East. No offense to them, but let us call a spade a spade. Well even in America we encounter similar situations but not as bad as in ME.

I worked in Kuwait for 10 years, though I made a little breakthrough  (I was assigned to the Staff Development Unit) so the nature of the job is more on orienting new employees and teaching, making seminars, symposiums and continuing education programs  Having done before the nitty-gritty job of kowtowing to fellow colleagues- doctors. surgeons, internists, lab techs, radiologists, nurses, and mostly some obnoxious patients, life is generally hard- having to take care of patients who don't understand you, the culture was different not to mention the language barrier that complicates your every move.

Haven't you noticed your OFW mother or father telling you all the glowing benefits they get working in ME? They always talk about money and the experience they get.  They post photos that show they are happy but haven't you noticed how claustrophobic it feels when their photos are taken only in one setting - more often inside their rooms, their flats, and the lonely desert with camels and lambs in the background.

Did they ever tell you how bad her situation is? Did they ever tell how crippling being alone is and how silence is deafening? Did they ever tell you anything negative about her work, the people he is working with, or how badly his superior treated him badly?  Not with silent depression.

Did they ever tell you the stinging loneliness, that they are homesick, and when it is their day off they make themselves busy by cleaning the flat or washing their clothes just to maintain their sanity? They waste their time and money reaching you through emails, phones, or Skype and you don't even appreciate that because you are going for a date or busy with something else.  

Did you notice how they want to maintain a happy persona when you talk to them via Skype? They want to show you a happy face because they don't want you to sense that they are homesick. But at the back of their mind, they are crying, especially when they sense you get bored with their calls.  You are their lifeline in the Middle East, and here you are showing a deadpan/stoic attitude.

The OFWs are usually the most prone to culture shock because their assignments are of a nature that requires them to travel extensively to foreign countries and live and work with people from different cultures, languages, and backgrounds.  They have problems fitting in.  They are struggling with the language barrier.  They are worried about money management. And they are worried about maintaining their sanity and coping with being alone in a foreign land.

Statistics show a rise in the suicide rate in ME.  And maybe some of the factors are obvious: Victims not knowing they are depressed. or Victims not knowing they need help. And victims not knowing where to ask for help,

So the next time you see a happy face from an OFW ... think again!  If you see unwanted clues and hints of suicide, you need to worry.  That's your mother and father ... remember?