‘Eagle Resolve’; Chelsea edge Kuwait, US hold towards title; military exercise4 Hazard45 shines Min 20º Max 32º FREE www.kuwaittimes.net NO: 17191 - Friday, April 7, 2017 Philippines arrests Kuwaiti terror suspect, Syrian wife Page 9 MANILA: Kuwaiti national (2nd left) and Syrian national (2nd right) are escorted by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel after a press conference in Manila yesterday. — AFP Local FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017 Local Spotlight Local VIEWPOINT No more licenses for expats A Make-up Society: Depression loneliness because they are just too scared to tell the directions at peak times. I also do not know By Sana Kalim truth. And the blinding truth is that: They can’t cope. By Muna Al-Fuzai the objective of enlarging roundabouts They are not strong. The sun doesn’t look like it has without traffic lights to organize traffic flow! [email protected] been lovingly crafted for them just to see them hap- If we want to reduce the number of vehi- py. Sure, there are times where their makeup cakes cles, we should have an alternative, such as off though; these are the times where they say “I do how to develop public transportation, con- [email protected] uwait, this oasis within the hostility of the not want to live”, or “I will say goodbye in a few trol taxis, and build a metro, because we all world, was thought to be the epitome of hap- moments.” Most of the time, these statements are know that taxi services are not fully effective piness. Sadly this is not the case. Suicide levels brushed off as if they were dust ruining our immacu- car in Kuwait is a necessity and not or sufficient, and are uncontrolled. The K in the country have been gradually increasing over late suits. merely a means of mobility. problem of traffic is due to two reasons - the years, grotesquely morphing a limited problem Therefore, any proposal to prevent firstly, drivers’ lack of awareness and respect A to a widespread phenomenon. I would like to ask you now: Is this really a tragedy? people from this right is unjustified, but nev- of traffic laws, and secondly, the roads, the A BMC Public Health survey presents us with a Staying alive may be the hardest thing some peo- ertheless, such calls continue. MP Safaa Al- engineering systems, as well as the geo- cascading list from 1991 with 27 cases of suicide, ple will ever do in their lifetime. Staying alive may Hashem recently submitted a proposal to graphical locations of residential areas. This increasing up to 76 cases in 2012 of tormented come easily to some. However, arriving at a natural stop the issuance of driving licenses (first- matter is in the hands of all ministries of angels leaving Kuwait with up to nine percent of the death may be as triumphant as living for those tor- time) to expatriates, with an exception for Kuwait and not just the traffic department. population lost in a desolate plain of pure depression tured souls who have to work so hard to continue domestic workers, for a period of one year Heavy traffic congestion in the streets of according to the Ministry of Health. breathing. until new solutions are developed for the Kuwait is a big problem, and for years, the Despite this, any pleas for help have been traffic crisis, new control methods are found General Administration of Traffic set many masked in an entertainment-focused culture. This is They are a part of us, aren’t they? and until the completion of ongoing road conditions for issuing driving permits for a country of pride and resolution! How could such a I urge you all to engage in small talk, because projects. expatriates, including the condition of a min- tragedy occur in a place like this? According to statis- behind that hard-earned smile. all those masks and I am familiar with such demands, but why imum salary and others, but this did not pre- tics, the rise in depression is due to a congealed mass all those clogged layers of makeup is an all-consum- the exception for household workers, vent the increase in cars and accidents, of problems: family, financial, and psychological. because to me these category of workers whether minor or deadly. These are all preventable problems, so why do the ing beast of insecurity and insanity. Go to your loved don’t need a driving license in the first place! The Traffic Department has the right to victims remain silent up until their final moment? ones, before you see them collapsed from consum- Hashem also called to automatically link the maintain street order and call for the reduc- Why do they let their final gasps of this incredible ing large doses of medicine or poison, hanging or driving licenses of expatriates with their work tion of road accidents, but prevention will be energy that is life be the most agonizingly loud? The jumping from the height of your carelessness. permits to prevent forgery and exceptions by the solution. We need to find fair solutions - most frightening part of all this is that these cases are I also urge you all to love, love unconditionally - wasta. Other demands in the proposal for example, why can’t every company pro- drowned in ignorance and the taboo of not living for hope may blossom from a single smile that is included that no driving license be issued to vide buses for its workers and employees golden, blessed days. Society is straining them, passed between strangers in a coffee shop; and with any expat unless they hold a driving license from their workplaces to their homes? straining us, with ideals of perfection while masking hope, we shall continue to rise from these ashes of from their home country that is certified from The need for a car has led some expats to our faces with makeup. Tears roll down our cheeks, hurt, betrayal and burden. These ashes shall not be the embassy of Kuwait in their country. change their job titles on the work permit only for us to get lost in a rising ocean. layered upon us like makeup any more. I agree with any call to organize the large and lie about their salary on paper. They also They wish that people knew that the worst part Act, before it all becomes a larger beast than we number of cars and roads in Kuwait, but I tend to become prey for visa traffickers and about life is the feeling of sheer loneliness, the inabili- expected it to be, and all of our pills and therapies fail doubt such a proposal will solve the prob- corrupt people because of their need. The ty to express the anguish that rages within; and the to conjure a miracle. lem. Many developed countries have consid- traffic problem is increasing and is present in smiley-face culture that we all live in worsens that Or just carry on, carry on. As if it all doesn’t matter. ered several solutions such as allocating spe- all countries of the world, so the secret is in cial lanes for vehicles and changing road finding the correct solutions. More than 1m people in Kuwait depressed KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health reported that from symptoms, a depressive episode can be categorized 5 percent to 9 percent of people in Kuwait suffer as mild, moderate, or severe. A key distinction is also from depression with the number of those affect- made between depression in people who have or ed, by variant degrees of the illness, amounting to do not have a history of manic episodes. “Both 1.25 million. The ministry released the figures in a types of depression can be chronic, lasting for an statement as it prepares for marking the World extended period of time with relapses, especially if Health Day on April 7, the high point in the World they go untreated,” Dr. Al-Zayed made clear. Health Organization (WHO) campaign “Depression: Let’s talk.” Family, social problems and financial woes Though depression is the leading cause of sui- Kuwait and many other Arab countries have a cide, which is, in turn, the second leading cause of high prevalence rate of the illness due to family and death in 15-29-year olds, specialists argue that not all social problems, coupled with unjustifiable price symptoms of depression can be diagnosed as hikes and the accelerated use of information tech- depressive disorders. There are specific symptoms nologies including smartphones and social media that determine diagnosing the variant forms of the that made people solitary creatures, he explained. illness such as anxiety, fear, and manic depression, On the WHO vision for depression in 2020, Dr. the ministry noted in the statement that is part of an Al-Zayed said the organization deems the illness the awareness campaign on the illness. The campaign leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. includes scientific programs, specialized lectures, “More than 300 million people are now living with booklets and messages via the social media websites. depression, an increase of more than 18 percent It aims to raise the public awareness about the between 2005 and 2015,” he said, citing the latest adverse impacts of the illness on family and society, WHO estimates. “Lack of support for people with and best treatments as well as the health service mental disorders, coupled with a fear of stigma, pre- providers, notably the Psychological Medicine vent many from accessing the treatment they need Hospital. The Hospital cares for 68,740 people who to live healthy, productive lives.