Residents gripped by anxiety disorders
Stress and anxiety are “common” ailments in the UAE and can have a significant impact on physical and mental health, experts warn. In an interview with Khaleej Times, Dr Shankar Srinivas Kuchibatla, consultant psychiatrist and medical director of the Dubaibased Lifeworks Foundation, said that “stress levels and anxiety are on the rise globally”, including the UAE.
“It is due to the demands put on a person in a 24-hour society like Dubai,” he said. “We see a lot of clients with stress and anxiety and there seems to be an increase in cases in the last two years. I would say nearly 20 per cent of the population suffers from some kind of anxiety disorder, which is usually one of the outcomes of prolonged stress.”
Dr Kuchibatla added that stress and anxiety can manifest themselves in a wide range of physical symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, muscle tension and pain, palpitations or increased heart rate and pounding of the heart, as well as symptoms related to indigestion, gastric upsets and acidity, and sleep issues.
Additionally, stress can cause acne and other skin problems, increase the risk of low bone density and a weakened immune system, as well as reproductive issues such as irregular or painful periods for women and impotence and low sperm-production for men. Stress and anxiety can also lead to reduced sexual desire for both genders.
According to Dr Kuchibatla, the patients he sees give a number of different reasons for suffering from stress and anxiety.
“Some of the common reasons are threatened job loss, change in role and increased pressure from superiors and inability to cope with schedules, and adjustment issues of carried reasons like migration to a new place, new relationships, and new job,” he said.
“Often, the effects of stress and anxiety spills into one’s personal life, leading to relationship problems, which in turn leads to further stress and other associated mental health issues,” he added.
“Also, financial woes are one of the most common factors leading to chronic stress and impact on an individual’s ability to enjoy life.”
A “common finding” in Dr Kuchibatla’s practice, he said, was that patients use tobacco or alco-
We see a lot of clients with stress and anxiety and there seems to be an increase in cases in the last two years. It is due to the demands put on a person in a 24-hour society like Dubai.” Dr Shankar Kuchibatla, consultant psychiatrist ,Life works Foundation
hol in an attempt to self-medicate. “In fact, this is a maladaptive coping strategy which does not increase functioning,” he noted. “The temporary decrease in stress in an individual shuts them out from their problems, but the stressor maintains its strength of becomes more powerful.”
Dr Kuchibatla advised that those who think they may be suffering from stress require a “comprehensive evaluation.”
“Risk of depression and severe anxiety is high after a prolonged period of stress and burnout,” he said. “Prevention… plays an important role in the long-term outcomes of these conditions.” Additionally, the doctor recommended lifestyle changes like regular physical exercise. “Treatment usually depends on the assessment findings.”
“For early stages of stress reaction, counselling is indicated. Psychotherapeutic approaches like cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and medications are found to be very helpful for prolonged anxiety and depression. Sometimes a combination of medications and CBT approaches are needed.”