Demand for anger management counselling in the Emirates doubles during pandemic

Stress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is leading to a rise in demand for anger management counselling.

The pressure of adapting to working from home and supervising children, on top of the anxiety created by travel restrictions, is causing tempers to flare.

Coronavirus-related issues led to demand for anger management counselling doubling in the UAE since the onset of the pandemic, experts said.

Psychologists and counsellors also listed sleep loss, work-related pressure and fatigue as the pandemic enters its 16th month.

Last year was “a difficult year for many, meaning more disturbed sleep, increased feelings of anger and rage, less social interaction – and generally feeling a bit farther away from our true selves”, said Dr Saliha Afridi, managing director of Lighthouse Arabia in Dubai.

She said problems dealing with anger, in particular when brought on by stress, should be recognised as other mental health issues are.

“Most of us can say that we have felt anxious, stressed and struggled with managing our anger, or have felt overwhelmed at some point in the recent past,” Dr Afridi said.

Anger is often a response to being made to feel vulnerable, she said.

“Our minds resort to our primitive ‘fight or flight’ response and we lash out in anger,” Dr Afridi said.

“Those moments when we lose control later fill us with more shame and regret. It is a vicious cycle.”

One psychologist said the need for anger management was a “prominent issue”.

“The numbers have risen over the past number of months. Many aspects of our lives are more stressful than before because of the pandemic,” said Sneha John, a psychologist with Medcare Camali Mental Health Clinic.

“There is a rise in marital problems and stress between parents and children. People are also struggling with extended periods of work with limited movement as well as travel restrictions.”

She said having to adapt to new working systems and grocery queues being longer than normal, owing to physical distancing, led to increased frustration and irritability.

Many people still attach a stigma to the need for anger management, she said.

“Anger management is sometimes belittled and seen as insignificant,” she said.

“This causes people to suffer in silence until the anger starts affecting work and personal life, especially in terms of relationships.”

A study of 130 countries, including the UAE, by the World Health Organisation, shows that Covid-19 has exacerbated mental health issues globally.

The study shows an urgent need to address mental health issues that are on the increase because of the pandemic.

More than 60 per cent of respondents said there had been disruption to mental-health services because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Almost 70 per cent said the crisis had also disrupted counselling.

More than one third of people in the UAE felt their mental health had deteriorated during the pandemic, according to a survey by the University of Sharjah, Zayed University and United Arab Emirates University, conducted in March.

The National reported last year that stay-at-home measures were heaping pressure on couples, with leading UAE divorce lawyers saying that they were “at least three times more busy” than before the Covid-19 outbreak.

A study of 130 countries, including the UAE, shows that Covid-19 exacerbated mentalhealth issues globally