Highs and lows of World Cup

While some Soca Warriors supporters were in a celebratory mood despite Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Paraguay others were visibly disappointed.

If you feel depressed, it is not a “medical illness or disorder,” explained psychiatrist Dr Indar Ramtahal who said the happiness and disappointment people experienced did not qualify as a medical disorder.

“The feelings will pass in a day or two. It is not a crisis in life, it is just a football game and the feelings will fall within the normal highs and lows.”

Psychiatrist Dr Hari Maharajh said the society will not go through World Cup depression because Trinidad and Tobago (TT), “does not have a long history or culture of football. It is a recent sport at the level it is being played.”

The recent preoccupation with football he attributed to the hype created from the first stages when TT was trying to qualify for the finals in Germany.

“What we have is a quite established Carnival mentality. What was portrayed as nationalism in Germany was a manifestation of the Carnival mentality in a large way. I am not saying there is anything wrong with it. Trinidadians just have the ability to be jovial, make friends and lime.”

Maharajh said the Carnival mentality is seen wherever TT people go because they know how to have the best time.

He said a few people may feel misery and sadness about TT not qualifying for the second round of the World Cup, but it is not post World Cup depression.

Maharajh noted that there was only a handful of people at the airport on Thursday for the Soca Warriors return from Germany. He said unlike South America where people lived and breathed football, “to us it is another aspect of feting and liming.”

He said people in TT would not commit suicide or be crying for long since the emotions evoked were shallow and did not strike the depths of the people.

Maharajh said it may take a few years and World Cups for football to reach this stage.

“It is not so ingrained in our blood. While in South America everything is football. We have other games where our people are talented such as cricket.”