A psychiatrist in parliament!

By Entela Resuli

"Albanians live under constant pressure. They are tired, emotionally exhausted"

Neli Demi, psychiatrist, has always been a clear voice and mind whenever we need to talk to a mental health specialist about the problems our society faces.

It seems the time has come for him to make his contribution in another place, where his opinions will likely carry more weight; in the seat of a member of parliament.

Calm and without much populism, he seeks to be voted for by the people in order to be closer to them after the May 11 elections. Demi is running under the logo of the "Euro-Atlantic Coalition".

Beyond political power, a psychiatrist would do the Assembly hall a lot of good!

Neli Demi tells Vox News about the state of our society today and why he decided to become actively involved in politics.

-Mr. Demi, we have often seen you on panels or in interviews speaking and discussing the social situation and mental health problems in our society. These days we are seeing you in another role, that of a candidate for MP. What prompted you to take this step?

For many years, I have been a silent and often helpless witness to the consequences that irresponsible politics has on people's emotional lives. As a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, I hear every day the feelings of insecurity, frustration and fatigue that citizens experience in silence. At some point, I realized that it is no longer enough to just listen. You also need to speak up for those who have no voice.

I entered politics not to build a career, but because I feel a civic obligation precisely to give a voice to those who suffer in silence. If my experience as a doctor can help bring more care, ethics, and attention to the human being in decision-making, then this is the most natural step.

-You are a psychiatrist, you have been practicing this profession for years, you have been personally involved as a doctor for many people who have had mental health problems, on the other hand you are also a good observer of these problems. What do you think Albanian society suffers from today, in terms of the field in which you work?

Albanians live under constant pressure. They are tired, emotionally exhausted. There is a lack of a sense of security, belonging, and inclusion. Often, the psychological symptoms we experience are a consequence of living in an emotionally unbearable reality, where problems are not shared, where stigma silences every anxiety, and where the state is distant.

From children in schools, to young people who don't know what to dream about, to parents who can no longer keep hope alive, we have produced a society that has no room to “breathe.” And when you can't breathe, you can't see clearly.

-Mr. Demi, maybe we are in a phase of discouragement as a society, meaning nothing impresses us, people seem tired and have neither patience nor trust in politics, why do you think this has come about?

Because trust has been broken repeatedly. Citizens have been fed grand promises, but have received in response a lack of responsibility and a lack of listening. When you feel that your voice is not valued, that your vote is misused, that your daily life is not improving, then you stop trusting. And when you stop trusting, you stop responding. This fatigue is not indifference. It is a deep discrepancy between the hope you once had and the reality you face.

-In recent years, we have realized that there are families who have emigrated abroad, not because they were sure of the future that awaits them where they have chosen to go, but because they no longer had hope in their own country... is this a sign of societal depression and how can it be solved?

Yes, mass emigration is a collective symptom of hopelessness. Many Albanians leave not because they are secure in life abroad, but because they are desperate for life here.

When a country offers no prospects, then people leave not to pursue a dream, but to escape disappointment. The solution is not simple. We must rebuild trust in our country, through policies that do not see the citizen as a number, but as a person: with needs, with dignity, with the right to live well where they were born.

-What will be your political contribution to parliament if you get the desired votes and manage to wear the MP's suit?

I want to bring to parliament a different way of thinking, talking about politics and doing politics: more caring, more sensitive, more human. I will try to raise my voice for those who feel invisible: young people who are not heard, parents who feel alone, teachers who are exhausted in the face of an unjust system, doctors who feel unsupported and attacked, the elderly who are forgotten. I do not promise miracles. I promise honest representation and real efforts to return care and ethics to the center of public policy.

- Did you have family support for this commitment? What did your wife tell you?

Yes, I had it and I still have it. My wife, as an artist, is a sensitive person, but she also gives me a lot of strength and reacted to my decision with full support and now I have her main support in the campaign. The rest of the family has also become part of my team.

At a time when politics is often perceived as a shadow, as a bargain, as noise, it helps me a lot to have voices in my family that encourage and support me at every step, but also that confront me, helping me to stay grounded at all times.

The Confession Room', an exclusive column of VoxNews.

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