Traces of RED

Ongoing

2022- present

               During military service, the combination of prolonged stress, exhaustion, and isolation triggered a severe mental health crisis. With access to a loaded weapon and overwhelming suicidal thoughts, I recognized the gravity of the situation and sought immediate psychiatric help.

A nationwide survey in 2018 indicated that 25% of Egyptians suffer from mental disorders with less than 1% seeking psychiatric help. This crisis is reflected in Egypt's suicide rates, which alarmingly more than doubled from 3,022 to 7,881 between 2019 and 2022.

Mental illness is like infrared light, it is never seen with the eye but it is known to be there. In 2022 I started meeting people who suffered from mental disorders, These meetings resulted in a series of photos that tell the participants' stories including my own with the help of an infrared camera showing the unseen realm of reality and the turmoil these people have experienced. Hoping these stories will help someone else and maybe save a life.