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"Sorry. I don't really know how to explain it. It's...I just want you to be prepared. People in Iran don't think about mental health the way we do back home.”
"Um."
"So if anyone says anything to you, don't take it personally. Okay, sweetie?"
In this quotation from Chapter 9, Shirin tries to prepare Darius for the difference in how people in Iran view mental health care. Shirin is loving but also matter-of-fact, failing to take into consideration how difficult it is for Darius not to take things personally. There is a difference between knowing there are different perspectives between cultures and dealing with the emotional pain of shame in the moment. There is no description of what Darius might expect, no telling Babou ahead of time that Darius takes medication for depression. The quick exchange between Darius and Shirin foreshadows the uncomfortable reactions to his mental health struggles that Darius will experience in Iran.
"What is this for? Are you sick?"
"Depression," I said. I refilled my glass and took another gulp so I wouldn't have to look at Babou. I could sense the disappointment radiating off of him.…
"What are you depressed for?" He shook the pill bottle. "You have to think positive, baba. Medicine is for old people. Like me."
In this quotation from Chapter 14, Babou is surprised to see that Darius takes medication and asks for an explanation. Throughout the novel, many characters minimize depression as something that can be overcome with positive thinking or a change in diet. Babou reinforces a common stereotype, that people with depression can just power through it by sheer will. Babou views medicine as something reserved for the old and sick and sees no good reason for his perfectly healthy grandson to need medication. To Babou, medicine seems like one more unnecessary influence from outside forces.
I hated that question. What are you depressed about? Because the answer was nothing….
I felt so inadequate.
Dad told me I couldn't help my brain chemistry any more than I could help having brown eyes. Dr. Howell always told me not to be ashamed.
But moments like this made it hard not to be.
In this quotation from Chapter 10, customs officers in Tehran take Darius aside for random questioning, and they inquire about the prescription pills in his bag, demanding an explanation. The guards are suspicious and question the need to medicate for depression alone. The customs officers struggle to understand what Darius is depressed about, and when questioned, Darius cannot articulate specifically the source of his depression. While logically he knows that he shouldn’t feel insecure about his diagnosis and medication, Darius does feel ashamed when he feels he’s being judged, and his depression makes him especially sensitive to criticism.
