Oman

Mental well-being in modern life

 
Psychiatrists say striking a perfect balance between work and life is crucial for a healthy well-being failing which it will have its own repercussions on one's health.

Speaking to one's partner or close friends and opening up can mitigate the pain as we all have to deal with stress which is inevitable in modern day life some way or the other.

Dr Gerald D'Costa, Psychiatrist, Badr Al Samaa Hospital, who spoke to Observer, says that depression among men has grown by 65 per cent in last few years and 49 per cent of the men feel more depressed than they admit to the people in their life.

'Not just that, globally, men account for 75 per cent of al suicide deaths according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and this is predominantly due to lack of open communication among peers of loved ones in the busy world of today,' Dr Gerald.

'Modern life entails stresses of varying nature and how we deal with the pressures that stress causes helps us to be free from the negative effects and look after our health. It is how we deal with stress which will have a profound impact on our health,' he added.

Unfortunately, most men don't talk about the stress or mental transactions and end up bottling them inside themselves causing more negative consequences. Hence, we need to share what we feel with others, importantly with a medical professional.

'The perception of stress is too is important and a positive perception is important. In the light of this, one needs to speak up and seek help from a professional,' says Dr Hamed al Sinawi, senior consultant psychiatrist at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital.

'Men and women, it is important to talk about our feelings with our close friends and what we are going through rather than suppressing the symptoms or the difficulties we face. It is also important to deal with stress in a positive manner and seek help whatever we feel when we need it,' adds Dr Al Sinawi, who is also an expert in Alzheimer’s and other dementia, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorders and schizophrenia.

However, striking a perfect balance between work and life is very crucial otherwise it invites accumulation of many negative thoughts inside us.

'When we feel the negative effect of stress whether it is stress or anxiety, depression or sleep disturbances or negative thoughts including the thoughts that I don't want to continue in the job or I don't want to live any more. It is important to speak up and seek help and if you need to meet a medical professional, please do so. We are all in this world together to help each other and support because together, we can break the stigma and support one another on this journey towards better mental health,' he further added.