DUBAI: The regional economic slowdown is easily tracked in the value of assets, corporate down-sizing and job losses. The human cost of the slowdown is not so easy to assess in a region where data on mental health issues can be scarce or even non-existent.
But mental health experts say that the impact is nonetheless clear to see, in a rising tide of depression and other mental illnesses triggered by job losses and rising financial pressures.
Dr. Haytham Shabayek, specialist in psychiatry at Medeor 24X7 Hospital, in Abu Dhabi, said he has seen a rise in the number of people suffering with depression, on varying scales of severity.
“Due to the economic factors that have happened lately, and because of the financial stress felt by many in the UAE, some people are really stressed. It is a well-known fact that stress — if prolonged without any treatment — can lead to severe depression and anxiety — and this can lead to suicidal thoughts or wishing for death.
“We have definitely seen an increase in people (seeking help) because of such economic problems.”
Shabayek said many of his patients tend to be those who are working — or who have worked — in real estate, engineering or business.
“Anyone can figure it out — it is related to the areas that have really been economically affected,” he said.
Dr. Fabian Saarloos, a Dutch clinical and health care psychologist at the German Neuroscience Center, in Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), has also noticed that more people are seeking help for suicidal thoughts.
“Unfortunately, there are no recent or reliable statistics on suicide or attempted suicide in the UAE — but in our clinic I have noted a rise in suicidal thoughts or comments,” he said. “However, clients with suicidal tendencies do not seem to have concrete plans and are very much aware of the consequences for them and their families should they attempt or succeed in these endeavours.”
A person’s financial situation or gloomy economic outlook is often coupled with a perceived lack of support that leads to the person not asking for help when problems start building up. Yet the person still tries to live up to expectations, performing at work and social settings — leading to a “burnout syndrome,” said Saarloos.
“External factors such as job loss and bankruptcy cause self-confidence to drop to such a low that someone may form the belief that his life is not worth it, and avoidance or escape through death would be the best solution,” he explained.
Suicide prevention is one of the roles of Resha Erheim, a counsellor at LifeWorks Holistic Counselling Center, in Dubai.
“In my clinical practice, many of my clients present with mood disorders — especially depression — and have experienced suicidal ideas or made suicidal attempts in the past.”
“Suicide is one of the common symptoms of clinical depression that can be caused by a complexity of multiple factors,” said Erheim. “Major life changes or financial loss can create stress on most people, making them potentially more vulnerable to depression or other mental health conditions.”
Dr. Deema Sihweil, clinical director and clinical psychologist at The Psychology Center at the Dubai-based Carbone Clinic, has practiced in the UAE for 11 years.
“I have definitely noticed people slowly, but increasingly, disclosing their experiences of suicidal ideation, especially among youth,” she said. “Hardships trigger symptoms and symptoms seek relief through expression.”
She said it was “all too common” for the subject of suicide to be “pushed into the closet”, then isolation increases, symptoms are ignored or superficially treated and people commit suicide.
Sihweil said more research to increase awareness and understanding of suicide in general, and then in terms of economic crisis, could help guide the development of programs to protect against these risks.
A safe environment in which to discuss mental health issues can be important to enable researchers to get accurate data and results, she said.
Sihweil’s colleague, Nora Takieddine, psychotherapist at the Dubai-based Carbone Clinic, said there is more to be learned about suicide.
“With regards to the factor of economic crisis, exploring the meaning attached to the crisis could result in important insight. This is because core identity and core beliefs play a large role in how we experience our lives,” she said.
“It is possible that the impact of a crisis is not just the loss of financial means. It could well be that the crisis strips people of a core identity such as ‘the provider’. Or, as another example, there may be a deep sense of shame for ‘failing,’ even though the crisis is something outside of their control.
“When a core identity is challenged, a sense of despair and hopelessness may follow and people can question the value of their existence,” she said.
The World Health Organization suggests that globally, there has been a 60 percent rise in suicide over the past 45 years, with a current rate of about one death every 40 seconds.
