Since the beginning of the month, insomnia has haunted Arwa, a 35-year-old Lebanese woman. She keeps losing sleep, tossing around in her bed over feelings of guilt, longing, and nostalgia for her friend who committed suicide last year.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Arwa reminisces over the memory of her lost friend, Mazen, whom she recalls as obliging to all those who sought his help.

He left behind a letter to his family and friends asking them not to grieve losing him, according to Arwa.

“Mazen poisoned himself in an olive grove and left for good,” she said.

For Arwa, Mazen isn’t the first close person to take their life. She had experienced the same pain three years ago when her maternal aunt also chose to end her life.

“I was at work when my phone rang. My mom told me that my aunt had killed herself. I couldn’t comprehend the words, and my mind couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” she recounted.

“I lived this painful experience twice, and I will never forget them...they are both gone, and we are the ones who stay to suffer the pain of parting, for sure they are in a better place,” said Arwa in a choking voice.

Since 2019, the lives of many Lebanese have been turned upside down as the country plunged into the worst economic crisis in its history.

This led to the impoverishment of most of the Lebanese and deprived them of their most basic life rights such as food, medicine, electricity, and fuel.

Making matters worse, the shock of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, cast a dark shadow on the mental health of the Lebanese.

The specialist and psychological therapist who supervises the “Embrace” lifeline, Reve Romanos, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the number of calls received by the organization for people under psychological pressure and in need of help has tripled in 2021.