What is No More Mualagh?

Many Afghani people in Australia have been under a great deal of stress recently. Stress which they describe as “Mualagh” or like a feeling of floating in sad uncertainty. If this stress and sadness deepens it can turn into a medical condition called depression. When Afghani people go to their doctor for help with depression they may not know how western medicine works and they may not speak or read English well. In rural areas, Afghani people also have extra problems of distance and very little health information freely available in their own language.

This project was developed by Multicultural Mental Health Australia and the National Ethnic Disability Alliance to work with the rural Afghani community to help them learn more about depression, how it is treated and how to safely use the medicine their doctors give them. The project was funded by the National Prescribing Service under the Community Quality Use of Medicines Rural Project Scheme.

What is in No More Mualagh for the participants?

A number of Afghani people in rural South Australia worked together with MMHA and NPS to help other Afghani people Australia-wide to learn more about depression. The focus was on sharing their experiences and practical ways of coping with the illness. The participants also helped doctors and health workers understand more about the Afghani people and their culture.

What benefit will No More Mualagh bring to the Afghani community?

Through the project Afghani people living in Australia now have available information about depression in English and their own languages. Information on depression and the Afghani culture has also been distributed to doctors, pharmacists and health workers in the areas Afghani people live. This ensures that health practitioners have a better understanding of, and respect for the needs of Afghani people.

How will we use information from No More Mualagh?

Lessons learnt from this project have been used to find ways of sharing information with other groups of people who like the Afghani people, are new to Australia, live in rural areas and speak or read very little English.

How will we know if No More Mualagh worked?

Feedback from both Afghani communities and their health practitioners has been very positive, with both groups stating that the project helped them better understand depression and how to help those suffering from the illness in a culturally sensitive manner.