Why Maria’s story matters in Bangladesh’s mental health crisis

Growing up in a turbulent environment and witnessing first-hand her own mother’s struggle against stigma and adversity, Maria's journey is a compelling narrative of bravery, resilience, and hope. From the runways of Miss Universe Bangladesh to the Head Offices of Moshal, Maria has clawed her way through a rigid society, claiming a space exactly where she deserves — right at the top! 

The beginning of everything

Despite coming from affluent roots, Maria's mother faced ostracism from her own next of kin, simply for choosing to leave an abusive relationship. Hoping to start a new chapter of life, she moved to London with a three-year-old Maria in tow. 

“But she fell in love there once again,” shared Maria. “And against her good judgment, she decided to go back to Bangladesh for the man who was showing her dreams of a better life.”

In an unfortunate twist of fate, however, Maria and her mother were left stranded by the very person they were hoping would be their saviour. A five-year-old Maria remembers her mother helplessly crying for help, unsure of what to do next. 

“A lady took us in,” reminisces Maria. “I remember entering a big house with many rooms. Inhabiting these rooms were many other ladies. We were given the last corner of the house, and the other women were told not to come near us.” 

Maria’s childhood experiences were shaping her, but they were also chipping away at her mentally. She was smart enough to realise that she would have to work hard from an early age to keep a roof over her head — and she took up all kinds of jobs to do that. She assisted her teacher, worked at a supermarket in Dhaka as part of the sales force, anchored for embassies and even acted! What she did not know was that having to be strong from such a young age would result in burnout, too heavy, too early. 

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How it came crashing

“In 2017, when I was in 9th grade, I began to experience excruciating pains in my stomach,” shares Maria. “The doctors called it ulcers, and I was heavily medicated for a while, but there was no improvement.” Over time, this pain caused her to vomit and even faint in school. “It affected my studies and my work,” she noted. “I was so desperate to get better, I even tried contacting my estranged father, who, of course, wanted nothing to do with a girl child.” As a result of her unexplained illness, Maria failed all her pre-test exams at Rajuk.

This was a huge shock to Maria. She was not able to accept that someone who was used to topping her class could finish her exams so miserably. “I had always been a fighter, but at that point, I had stopped fighting.”

Maria remembers the next few days in minute detail. “Three or four scenarios played in my head like a movie. I felt the presence of some people in my room who would harm me if I so much as flinched. I saw my room stretching longer and longer, and at times, I saw it red with blood.”

When she finally moved, she felt like the people in the room had engulfed her, and she fainted. Upon regaining her senses, she knew something was very wrong with her. She called a friend who called another friend, a psychology student, luckily, and together they made sense of her condition. 

“Clinical depression! Somatoform!” she exclaims. “I was so young, but here I was, spiralling down a path of darkness, and I didn’t even understand the jargon!” They also informed her that she was actively hallucinating due to a lack of sleep. 

Turning adversity into advocacy

The more Maria read up on psychology, the more interested she became. “I decided I did not want to be in Rajuk anymore, and chose to go for A Levels and psychology instead. Her stomach aches started making sense to her. She began understanding the student suicides taking place around her. The gaps in mental health support in her own country became more apparent, too. 

“I found out that in Bangladesh, we have one psychologist for every 2,60,000 patients. Can you believe that?” exclaimed Maria. “I realised how lucky I was to have found help the way I did. Had the other suicide victims I knew received the help they needed in time, they would be alive now.”

Maria’s own experiences, marked by struggle and resilience, ignited her passion for change. 

During her first year of A Levels, Maria, already known through her acting gigs, was encouraged by a friend to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant for Bangladesh. She quickly realised that winning this pageant could offer her a bigger platform to talk about her real passion — mental health and psychological wellbeing. 

Confident to the core, Maria went on to become a 4th runner up at the beauty contest, and the next thing she did was jump into social work. Harnessing her experiences of mental distress and recovery, she decided to use her newfound fame to become an advocate for mental health. She started a seminar on suicidal ideation and parenting styles with just 25 people and 2 psychologists, in a small room. This turned into 300 parents, teachers and students all across Dhaka schools. 

“This was Moshal’s inauguration event!” she exclaims. 

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Moshal

Moshal started in 2020, with only two psychologists. Maria had studied international service standards and was offering streamlined services to her clients; the results were phenomenal. 

Five years down, Moshal now has 36 psychologists and psychiatrists around the world, such as the USA, Canada, Oman, Australia, and Bangladesh, serving both national and international clients. It has served more than 5,000 clients and impacted 3.5 million people. It has reached out to crowds of 60,000 with seminars and webinars, and has 35 campaigns under it. 

A year after its conception, Moshal received the Diana Award. It was the first mental health organisation to win this award, and Maria was the youngest person to hold it. “It has been quite a journey,” she agrees, gratefully. “I was the CEO Moshal initially, and right now, I remain as a founding President on its board. We are one of the leading mental health institutions in the country.” 

Moshal operates both online and offline. Their office has two psychologists, but they also actively send clients to psychologists’ personal chambers. “Most of our clients are online, as Moshal is the only mental health organisation in Bangladesh that is operating with international psychologists. And that is one of our biggest strengths,” mentions Maria.

International psychologists under Moshal have studied abroad, are established there, and many belong to the Bangladeshi diaspora. “A service that would cost you $200 to $300 outside Bangladesh can be availed from Moshal for as little as Tk 1500 to 2000.”

Moshal also has an initiative called Pashe Achi, which runs from 6 PM to 2 AM. “It is not an emergency hotline, but it is a non-judgmental friend in need — a physical person who listens to you when no one else will.” These thirty-to-forty-minute calls are operated by trained psychology graduates who have been supervised by Moshal professionals. “Psychologists cannot give instant service, but these students can. Pashe Achi has received a great response.”

On the horizon

“Upscaling Moshal is now the plan,” shares Maria. “The model is completely manual, so we want to automate it so that it can become as accessible, as affordable, and as effective as possible.” Maria wishes to offer Moshal’s services to diasporic communities. “We have a huge pool of international psychologists, so we want to give services to Bangladeshis here and to the Bangladeshi community abroad, including students who cannot afford mainstream services abroad.”

As Maria nears her 25th birthday, she envisions a future where mental health is no longer a taboo subject. She aspires to establish a retreat where individuals can learn about mental wellness and develop coping strategies in a supportive environment. 

“We are part of the privileged, progressive mentality of Bangladesh, but we comprise not even 1 per cent of the total population of this country. The majority of our people are still not open to concepts of mental well-being.” 

Maria does not deny that progress has indeed taken place, but she does maintain that it has not been fast enough or standardised. “There have to be more structural changes. Our government needs to pass laws on this, and educational institutions need to hold workshops in schools and universities. Micro changes need to happen within families, with parents,” urges Maria. “Organisations like ours cannot work alone.” 

Maria feels that the taboo around mental health will be removed when it is recognised by the government as a national concern. “There are centuries of work left for us to do.”