The emergence of xenophobia can be attributed to many primary sources. A family history of anxiety disorders, a traumatic yellow-related event, excessive stress or anxiety, and drug addiction are a few of these. Any one of these factors might increase the likelihood of xenophobia developing. It's important to remember that the presence does not assure a person's experience with this phobia of these risk factors.
With the kind of work pressure that we have to deal with in today's competitive jobs, it is not unusual for employees to slip into anxiety, panic disorders or depression. Mental health disorders among working population are realistic problems and these need to be accepted and addressed. If you're suffering from a mental health issue, do not shy away from the problem or from taking professional help as it can damage your personal as well as professional life.
Here, Dr Saumya Mudgal, Senior Consultant-psychiatry, Max Gurugram, talks about the impact of workplace stress or pressure on mental health, misconceptions about mental health at workplace, symptoms of mental health disorders, most common mental health disorders seen among working population, how to cope with anxiety and depression, and more.
Mental health disorders are seen in all populations. But when we talk about mental health disorders among the working population and with regards to men, what we largely see is anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression (which is more common), and adjustment disorders (which can be anxious type or depressive type).
These disorders may result either because of their work role or work pressure or demands in life (personnel and work) or because of poor work-life balance.
Most of these mental disorders here are related to anxiety and depression. There are two modalities used to treat these disorders: medications and mixed approach. The later one is used for moderate to severe condition where we used a combination of therapy, relaxation exercises, and medication. For mild or moderate type, patients are usually recommended to therapy like behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), breathing exercises, relaxation exercises, yoga. Along with these, SOS medication can also be used in cases of mild to moderate cases.
What we should understand is that we should not shy away from the medication because in case of the moderate to severe cases, medication is somehow important and a must. Moreover, we need to understand that work life is a daily thing and taking just one day or two-day break is not going to change the situation or help you much, as you will be going back to the same environment and facing the same work pressure. Also, people suffering from anxiety and depressive disorders have the tendency to get into addiction like smoking, alcohol abuse, use of marijuana and cannabis. Hence, it is important to address the issue and not shy away from the problem. Depending on substances, like alcohol or nicotine, will not help solve the situation but worsen it.
Increased episodes of anxiety, tremors in the hand, tingling and numbness sensation in the hands and feet, very low mood, disinterest, difficulty in concentration and work, increased alcohol intake, increased smoking pattern. These are some of the lookout signs that indicate that some of your behaviors are increasing or your coping strategies are failing, and that you need help.
Not everyone accepts mental health disorders as a health issue that is not always controllable. Some people think that these are excuses given by the other person to escape work, to take holiday or to do lesser job.
It is very important to create a support system where you can always go and tell your problems and discussed your problems with your family members or spouse, and not ditching them saying that you cannot understand. Keeping a holistically warm environment even at home is very important because it helps to destress and get relief from the stress of the everyday working life.
Yes, job loss affects one's mental health as having a job gives an individual the financial support. Every family has different dynamics. In households, where both husband and wife are earning, the financial situation is better covered. Whereas in households, where only one person is earning, if the person loses his/her job, the entire family's dynamic can go for a toss. Be it daily needs, education of the children, care for parents, medical and other financial needs of the family, or self-health needs, all get affected. Job loss can also cause insecurity about the future. Hence, job loss is a critical factor which can precipitate a lot of mental health issues, especially anxiety and depression. It can also increase substance abuse.
So, if you see the signs and symptoms mentioned above, and if they are increasing, it is very important that you see a mental health professional or psychiatrist or a therapist and take the necessary steps to address the problem.
Not everyone accepts mental health disorders as a health issue that is not always controllable. Some people think that these are excuses given by the other person to escape work, to take holiday or to do lesser job. It needs to be understood that mental health conditions are similar to any other health conditions like having a heart problem, liver problem or sugar problem. Mental health issues should be given due importance because these are actually due to chemical imbalances in the brain. Disbalance in the amount of brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and acetylcholine causes depression and anxiety symptoms. Medications are given to replenish these chemicals, address the imbalance and bring equilibrium in the functioning of the brain.
We need to understand that for a healthy body to work, you need a healthy mind. Mental health disorders can lead to lack of concentration, disinterest and lack of confidence and lack of self-esteem. All these issues do contribute to the poor functioning and poor results and outputs. So, a mental problem should not be dejected as it can cause a lot of damage to a person's self-esteem in the long run, to the professional career and growth. In extreme cases, when the person doesn't feel accepted or feel rejected, it can lead to self-harm and even suicide.
In our OPDs, we see at least 15 to 25 per cent of patients with work-related mental health conditions on a regular basis, especially with Gurgaon being the hub for working people. We see a lot of people in their 20s and 30s and 40s suffering from mental health issues like anxiety and depression and panic episodes. Unable to manage workplace dynamics, unable to meet the deadlines, too much work pressure, are some of the common complaints that we hear from the patients.
"There's nothing like anxiety or depression, you need to be strong." Stop saying this to anybody who are dealing with mental issues. Mental health disorders are as real as other health conditions.
