An increasing number of UAE residents are seeking help for mental health issues due to the job losses caused in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, doctors said.
Earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the anxieties brought by virus transmission, the psychological impact of lockdowns, and self-isolation have contributed to a mental health crisis and the stress linked to unemployment, financial worries and social alienation was giving people tough time.
Three residents shared their ordeal due to job losses and pay cuts.
With mounting bills to pay, Christian is desperately searching for a job in Dubai. As of posting time, he is living in a shared flat with his wife, Marie, who is the sole breadwinner at the moment the family. In February, he sent their two little children, aged seven and five, back home in the Philippines to live with their grandparents.
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Christian said that he had faced a salary cut earlier due to the pandemic and was later forced to resign from the job. He had joined his new job last October, but left in May.
He said that the family has “lot of commitments like rent, school fees, credit card payments, personal loan and other utility bills to pay”, adding that they “couldn’t afford to pay the school fees for the kids.”
He added that matters have become so bad that he and his wife now often run into constant arguments.
Christian said that though he has been “job hunting’ there was “no luck.” He added that he has been getting interview calls, but “nothing positive is happening.”
Since last April, Edwin* has been working from home and has to take care of his wife and seven-year-old daughter, despite only getting 15 percent of his salary.
After facing a pay cut, he said that both he and his wife who are working from home since last April “have to put in long working hours.”
Having received only 15 percent of his salary from April to October last year, he said that the pay that he used to draw prior to COVID-19 hasn’t been fully restored as he was still getting only 80 percent salary.
Mario* was forced to send his wife and two kids back to the Philippines despite the fear that they could get stranded there due to ongoing travel restrictions.
He said that the family had a tough time managing the e-learning of their children and relied on family in the Philippines for support. With one kid in Grade 3 and the other who just started schooling, he said that he was “unsure when he will be able to see his wife and children next.”
He said that their lives had become stressful for the family and his wife, Claire, had been feeling burned out managing children at home alone. They then decided that the kids will stay with his parents, while Claire looks for a job to help make ends meet. (AW)
*Names changed to maintain confidentiality.
