Closed-door conversations about mental health and drug addiction in Assyrian homes were made public last month during an event for students, parents, and doctors in Chicago and its suburbs.
A room reserved for fifty people on June 23 swelled to over one hundred as Assyrian health experts Dr. Dennis Gelyana and Dr. Alan Georges led discussions on how addiction impacts a young person’s brain, treatment methods for cravings, and ideas to promote hope for those struggling with the affliction.
“In many communities including ours, there’s a stigma regarding mental illness, it is more regarded as a weakness or shame,” said Dr. Gelyana, a psychiatrist based in Glenview, Illinois. “It’s not only beneficial but also essential that our media, social organizations, and leaders remind our people that there is no shame in addressing the problem. Education, facilitating support groups for families and encouraging affected people to seek help should become a priority.”
The event, co-hosted by the Assyrian Student Association of Chicago (ASA of Chicago) alongside the Chicago branch of the Assyrian Aid Society, focused on the mental health challenges facing young people.
“We don’t know what’s going on with people’s lives and we don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors,” said Courtney Moushi, President of ASA of Chicago. “As much as we’ve been told that what happens in your home has to stay in your home, please do not believe that anymore. I think people are starting to realize the repercussions of staying silent on this.”
In 2020, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for U.S. children aged 10 to 14, after unintentional injury, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The organization also found that drug use increased by 15% among young people aged 12 to 17 during the coronavirus pandemic, and by nearly 20% for young adults aged 18 to 25.
These increases can be pronounced in communities that have faced suffering, Dr. Gelyana said.
“Studies have shown that immigration, and particularly escape from violence and trauma, can be triggers for mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders,” he added. “Unfortunately, the Assyrian community is no exception to this rule. In treating mental illnesses in our community, aside from correcting underlying chemical imbalances, we must also address issues of anger, shame, forgiveness, hope, and acculturation.”
Among the audience were notably many parents, particularly older men.
“They’re starting to see the writing on the wall,” said Ashur Shiba, Morton Grove Village trustee and Executive Director of Vote Assyrian. “They’re seeing their kids struggle. These people come from countries where a strong man doesn’t talk about his problems. ‘You’ve got no issues, walk it off,’ that kind of thing.”
Shiba, who helped organize the event, lost his own brother to a drug overdose two years ago. He said his brother’s memory now fuels his mission to break the community’s deep-rooted stigma around addiction and mental help.
By year’s end, Shiba plans to open a mental health and drug rehabilitation facility staffed entirely by Assyrians. The center will provide on-site care and referrals to other medical or rehab programs for more serious cases.
“I invited a few addicts that didn’t show up to this event, it was unfortunate,” Shiba said. “It’s going to take a long time for us to educate the people and have them start coming in, especially Assyrians. I think this should be the number one issue for the entire community.”