Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Shahzad had begun to experience feelings of restlessness, insecurity, and isolation a couple of years ago. An overwhelming sense of inadequacy and failure caused him to live in perpetual fear of what the future would bring. Constant negative thoughts and feelings led him, a capable, unmarried 29 year old, with a bright and successful future ahead of him to give up on his life, to abandon his studies and withdraw Into a shell of misery and isolation.
Coming from a large, lower middle class family, Shahzad has five siblings. He had done his Matriculation from a Madrasah, but he wanted to break away from the Madrasah culture. He pursued a secular education and completed his B Tech in software engineering. After this he started working towards a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Virtual University.
Shahzad had always prided himself for being independent and capable of dealing with his own problems and issues, but he was now constantly besieged by negative thoughts, feelings of insecurity and a total lack of confidence in himself. The fear of failure stopped him from sitting for his exams. His illness also had a severe impact on his relationship with his parents and siblings.
After having been treated by many psychiatrists without much success, a family member brought him to the OPD in Karwan-e-Hayat. In the OPD, the doctor diagnosed his depression and anxiety. He referred Shahzad to a clinical psychologist for therapy and counseling and after a thorough evaluation it was determined that Cognitive Behaviour Therapy was the best way forward for Shahzad. Individual therapy sessions began and gradually Shahzad started feeling more confident and comfortable with himself. There was a positive and noticeable improvement in his attitude and behavior. After a while he went back to work.
He is currently working as a software developer in a private company and he has also resumed studying for his Masters degree in Computer Science. He has done many short online courses to enhance his computer skills. His final exams will be held in the near future and this time he has resolved to sit for them.
Shahzad’s therapy sessions continue with regularity, but they have become less frequent than before because he is making good progress. His own effort to get better, his good medicine compliance combined with the hard work of his therapist has shown amazing results. Socially, he is making a concerted effort to repair the relationships he thought he had lost forever.
Shahzad now leads a happy and productive life, something he had never thought he would be able to do again.