By Zaid K. Maaytah

Mental health goes beyond the absence of disorder; it reflects a state of balance that allows people to cope with life’s pressures, work with purpose, and stay connected to those around them. The World Health Organization describes it as the ability to realize one’s potential and face daily challenges with resilience and perspective, a condition that sustains both personal growth and collective stability. In that sense, mental health is not a private matter but a shared resource that underpins social and economic wellbeing.

Among the wide range of mental conditions, depression and anxiety are the most common in Jordan. A study by Jordanian researchers published in the international Journal of Affective Disorders in 2023 found that nearly one in five Jordanians experience symptoms of these conditions, while among adolescents the rates are even higher, with more than half reporting depressive symptoms in some studies. Despite these figures, the issue often remains invisible in public life.

Part of the reason lies in how societies, including ours, respond to what can be seen and measured. Physical illness leaves visible traces; emotional distress often moves quietly beneath the surface. People naturally focus on what feels immediate, a tendency referred to as salience, which makes it easy to overlook the gradual erosion of well-being. This is not indifference but a human bias toward what is tangible and urgent.

Cultural expectations deepen this invisibility as emotional strength is still associated with endurance, and admitting distress can be mistaken for weakness. Many stay silent, believing others are coping better. Behavioral scientists describe this as pluralistic ignorance, when everyone struggles privately while assuming everyone else is fine, and over time, that silence hardens into habit, and what began as hesitation turns into a collective illusion. So it is safe to say that nearly every Jordanian family has been touched by anxiety, loss, or prolonged stress.

Silence carries a cost, often felt as loneliness, as feeling unseen or unacknowledged can intensify the very symptoms people try to hide. Loneliness magnifies anxiety, dulls motivation, and convinces a person that their pain is unique or beyond help, and there are multiple studies to link isolation not only to depression but also to physical illness and shorter life expectancy, it is a quiet burden that drains confidence and weakens trust in others.

What makes loneliness harmful also points to the path forward. Human connection is the strongest protection. Jordanian society is built on close family and community ties, with relatives who stay connected and neighbors who support each other in hardship. These bonds are not only cultural traditions but also psychological safeguards that help people withstand uncertainty. When strengthened intentionally, they can become one of Jordan’s greatest assets. Shared values of empathy and solidarity can turn into small, daily gestures that nurture mental well-being through kindness and attentive listening.

This foundation can grow stronger through schools, workplaces, and community initiatives that create safe spaces for open conversation. When teachers, colleagues, or public figures speak honestly about emotional challenges, they send a quiet but powerful message that struggling is part of being human, people are far more likely to seek help when they see someone they trust doing the same. Turning private pain into shared understanding does not require new systems; it begins with empathy and the willingness to listen.

The effects of poor mental health reach beyond the individual. The WHO estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy more than one trillion dollars a year in lost productivity, while every dollar invested in treatment returns four in better health and performance as workers under chronic pressure lose focus, students burdened by anxiety underperform, and families quietly absorb the emotional and financial strain, soin economic terms, untreated mental distress is a hidden cost that society pays collectively without realizing it.

In a labor market already challenged by unemployment and uncertainty, the psychological toll becomes part of the broader economic picture. Mental health shapes how people make decisions, manage risk, and sustain motivation, and when stress narrows mental bandwidth, it limits not only individual potential but also collective productivity. Supporting mental well-being is therefore not simply compassion but investment in human capital, the foundation of national growth and resilience.

Real progress begins with small, steady steps: protecting privacy, simplifying access to counseling, integrating emotional support into schools and workplaces, and celebrating stories of recovery. Families and communities that meet emotional pain with understanding rather than silence become the first and strongest line of care.

Mental health, ultimately, is not a separate field of policy but a thread that runs through education, work, and daily life. It reflects how societies care for the unseen parts of human experience. Recognizing it in that way does not assign blame; it builds shared responsibility among institutions, professionals, and citizens alike.

A society that learns to treat invisible pain with the same care it gives to visible wounds moves closer to genuine well-being, one measured not only by achievement or income but by peace of mind.