UAE companies must do more to ensure the mental health of\ntheir employees, according to local psychologists speaking to Gulf News during\nStress Awareness Month this April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three leading counsellors in Dubai all agreed workplace\nstress was the number one reason for people reaching out for help, and demand\nfor such services was only growing [\u2026]\n\n\n\n
Harry Horgan at the German Neuroscience Centre said the\nissue was only increasing and linked to financial uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt seems clear that it is more common than even six months\nago,\u201d he said. \u201cFinancial insecurity is a well-evidenced cause of mental health\ndifficulties both as a result of the associated worry, uncertainty and due to\nthe increased financial barrier to accessing mental health support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
January\u2019s Dubai Health Forum at Dubai World Trade Centre\nsaid mental health figured among the top 10 illnesses in the UAE, and according\nto the World Health Organisation (WHO) mental disorders will be second only to\nheart disease in terms of global burden by 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last year\u2019s Global Happiness Survey Report released by the\nGovernment Summit found that untreated mental illness reduced the GDP of\ncountries by four per cent. However, for every dollar companies spend on\nawareness of mental health now they can save $4 (Dh14.68) in lost productivity,\naccording to the WHO, who estimate the global economy loses approximately $1\ntrillion a year as a result of lost productivity due to mental illness [\u2026]\n\n\n\n