5 Pakistani Dramas That Shed Light on Mental Health

In light of World Mental Health Day today, here are five Pakistani drama serials that raised awareness on the issue and advocated against the stigma associated with it.

1. Aakhri Station — Depression

Director Sarmad Khoosat’s limited series starring Nimra Bucha, Ammara Butt, Eman Suleman, Sanam Saeed is a must-see. The drama serial is about women from different walks of life going through different social issues.

Sanam Saeed’s character ‘Tehmina’. After witnessing the suicide of her mother at a young age, she is haunted by her past her entire life and showcases obvious symptoms of depression.

However, the show highlights the stigma and ignorance of desi families when it comes to mental health, which is why Tehmina’s father decides that marriage is an apt solution to her condition.

2. Yeh Dil Mera — PTSD

This popular psychological thriller is a proper character study of two people coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Former real-life couple Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly play Amanullah and Noor-ul-ain in it, who have both experienced trauma and tragedy in the past.

Both of them are shaped by their trauma and cope with it in different ways. Noor-ul-Ain even goes to a psychiatrist but her father, Agha Jan (Adnan Siddiqui), doesn’t consider it a real illness, highlighting the typical mindset of Pakistani families who often consider mental health to be taboo.

3. Sabaat

This drama serial starring Mawra Hocane, Usman Mukhtar, and Sarah Khan is another brilliant character study. Actress Sarah Khan essays the role of Miraal, a spoilt daughter of well-off family. While many people saw her as just a product of her parents’ favoritism, who likes to order everyone around, Miraal has a very specific mental disorder.

Miraal has a classic case of Narcissitic Personality Disorder (NPD). The character’s has a psychological breakdown after the passing of her grandmother (nani).

The show is one of the few hit drama serials that got critical conversations started on social media about the sensitive topic of mental health.

4. Saraab

Actress Sonya Hussyn played ‘Hoorain’, a young girl who suffers schizophrenia. The character experiences delusions and hallucinations.

Schizophrenia is a very real illness that is often ignored or misunderstood by our society. The show depicts how our society tends to go for peers, babas, and darbars to order a special taweez instead of an actual therapist.

5. Ishq Zahe Naseeb

Actor Zahid Ahmed shines as Sameer, a man suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) which is also popularly known as Split Personality Disorder, and takes on the persona of Sameera from time to time.

Due to societal stigma, Sameer’s mother and maid keep his condition under wraps, even going as far as to sabotage his therapy sessions. Without proper treatment, his disorder even leads to the murder of his fiancee.

What do you think about these drama serials and their importance? Let us know in the comments.