After my treatment  of  depression, I felt as if I was seeing life through a black and white TV screen, and then I started to see it through a colored  screen, as if the world was dark and  then it lit up. I went through difficult circumstances followed by entering into a bad psychological state. Whoever got to know me at that time will remember me as a nagging woman, closed to herself, do not go out, do not call anyone, and do not answer the phone. I am F.C  a 30   years old female .  I live in Sabr Al-Mawadim  district  at Taiz Governorate, my suffering began after I finished my university education and stayed at home, and my situation with my family is like most of the rural areas where early marriage is widespread , and education is a luxury  and that the girl has a certain age for marriage, if she misses it, she  became expired.

The days passed and I grew up and exceeded the second decade of my life and stood on the threshold of thirty without marriage   .I suffered  with my family  because of the delay in my marriage, even though I am a girl of a high degree of beauty, which angered my family and those around me as if I was   my fault. The delay in my marriage made me vulnerable. I was constantly bullied and insulted, which caused me great embarrassment, for every visit or social event I attended , I became prone to sarcasm and a lot of slanderous expressions haunted me, with slight sympathy from   others.

I began to feel the weight of years and the length of my days, and I began to look at my mirror imagining  that the wrinkles began to invade my face and that my beauty has dissipated.

Because of the intensification of social pressures  from those around me, fears and conflicting ideas began to escalate in intensity, which made me suffer from  sleeping disorders  with a constant headache. I went through a   convulsive seizure that I did not realize until I regained consciousness and those who were with me talked about what happened   and after the seizures were repeated more than once, my family took me to a doctor, who confirmed, after examination, that I had a brain electrical defect.

With my illness, my suffering increased and my worries increased, who would  marry  a girl in her thirties and  suffers from a nervous disease ?

So that thoughts and obsessions crowded in my imagination, and it was only a short period of time until I began to suffer from manifestations of depression represented by sadness, frustration and loss of enjoyment in life, and tended to isolate. I stayed away from social events and neglected my appearance and during my periodic review of the neurologist, he noticed my psychological disorder, and explained to me the need to treat this disorder and recommended that I go to the   MHPSS center of the Psychiatric  Care Developmental Foundation .Despite my family's embarrassment in admitting that I suffer from a psychological disorder, they responded and took me to the   MHPSS center after noticing the extent and exacerbation of my suffering.

There, after completing the registration and case study procedures , I was presented to the  psychiatrist in order to diagnose my  condition and decide the appropriate treatment, after which an integrated treatment plan was drawn up, which included the pharmacological aspect in addition to the rehabilitation sessions in order to restore the building of my personal capabilities.

After that I underwent individual  psychological sessions, which was the best outlet for me to reveal my pain and suffering without embarrassment or fear of bullying, as the follow-up psychologist was so understanding which made me regain my confidence in myself and those around me. I also underwent a rehabilitative treatment program, where I was trained on how to acquire the skill of adaptation, the skill of distraction, and exercises for muscular and respiratory relaxation. In addition, I was made aware of the importance of a sense of accomplishment to raise self-worth and self-esteem by filling free time with activities and hobbies, and the skill of self-care. I was advised to apply  for work commensurate with my university major.

After four months of attending the psychological sessions  and the periodic follow-up by the  psychiatrist  in the MHPSS   center, my condition improved, which made the doctor withdraw the psychotropic medication  for depression , as all the symptoms of depression that were heavy on my shoulders and filled me with distress and negativity disappeared. My smile returned to me and I  became more positive and open to life  and I started attending events without shame and taking care of my appearance, and I began to qualify myself  by attending training courses in my field of specialization in order to have greater chances of getting a job.

To complement the comprehensive treatment plan , the  psychologist  held awareness-raising meetings with my family, who was the source of my suffering because of their narrow and traditional view of my  condition

After a period of applying here and there, I was accepted to work in an institution close to my place of residence, which made me pay more attention to my specialization and work on developing my abilities.

As the days passed, my view of things changed , and I had new and wonderful convictions, and my principle became  “Thehusband’s presence is beautiful  ,buthis absence will not harm" and I feel  now that I am light-hearted, like a butterfly that flaunts the colors of life and flies with happiness and freedom, and everyone who sees me praises my appearance and positive energy .

In conclusion, I must thank the   MHPSS  center and its staff and the United Nations Population Fund for the  great services they provide, and I hope the project continue on providing such  services  given the people's need for  MHPSS services  in light of the country's miserable situation .