Bahrainis reluctant towards psychological help: Study

A study has found that a large percentage of Bahrainis are still hesitant to visit psychologists. The study was conducted as part of the 'Because You Are Important' campaign launched in Bahrain last year to combat the pandemic and protect people's psychological wellbeing.

The survey results focused on employer-employee showed 80 per cent of respondents didn't think about seeking help to better their mental health.

The founder of the initiative, Waeel Zaki, stated that this proves the need for more awareness about mental health among the Bahraini community.

More than half of the respondents (51 per cent) said they received mental support from their employer in some way at work, and 42 per cent said they could balance work and social life.

Zaki added that mentally healthy workers depend on a peaceful and quality work setting, which swells the productivity of an institution. The study showed that when employees were permitted remote working during the pandemic, it has helped reduce Covid-related stress to an extent.

The survey was conducted on about 100 people aged between 18 and 64, and 80 per cent of respondents were natives. This is the second survey of the campaign launched in the mid-last year by the Capital Governor Sheikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al-Khalifa and several experts from the fields of psychology, social service, life skills were part of the programme.