Ergophobia is fear of work
‘Ergophobia’ is described as an extreme, irrational and debilitating fear of working and work related features such as performing tasks, social relationships, or speaking in work settings.A young...
Crimes and criminals
The recent incidences that involved the killing of two women in Oman in daylight caused shock to the whole community. Not only because the perpetrator was in a close relationship with the victim but...
Let’s talk about men’s mental health
A few years ago, I attended a workshop dedicated to discussing mental health at work. One of the speakers shared his experience with bipolar disorder. He talked about his first episode when he...
Are you a workaholic?
Some people get so involved in their job that it becomes the centre of their entire existence. Not realising that they are burning away their youth in a job that will not stay with them forever.The...
Is parenting for ever ?
Ahmed (not his real name) is a 65-year-old man with a long history of mental health problems. He often attends the clinic with his old mother who is in her 80s but insists to attend with him and know...
How to Stop Unwanted Thoughts
“Unwanted thoughts are often strange, disturbing thoughts that pop into your mind and bring on feelings of worry or shame”.Last week I was teaching at an outside institution and half way through...
In search for a meaning
“The concept of having a meaning in life can be applied to all of us in different stages in our lives and can explain how our current social situation may contribute to our emotions and feelings of...
Attention please
“A recent study reported in the Harvard Business Review reveals that our own restless thoughts, not smartphones, are the main cause of our poor attention”According to recent research the average...
You are not a tree
Few days ago I was chatting with a healthcare worker who moved to work in a nearby country where she was made a head of a unit and given more responsibility and appreciation.The move made her realize...
Beware of Internet romance
The Netflix documentary ‘The Tinder Sindler’ tells the real story of a young man who used a dating social media application and presented himself as a son of diamond factory owner and tricked...
No health without mental health
October 10th marked the World Mental Health Day. A day designated by the World Health Organization to raise awareness about mental health and its importance in our lives.The theme this year is...
Do we need parenting classes?
A fourteen year-old boy is brought to the psychiatrist clinic by his parents who were very concerned about a recent change in his behaviour.Over the past few weeks the boy refused to go to school and...
Good habits and bad habits
Many of us are struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and sticking to a healthy diet, yet this can be challenging sometimes so we find ourselves going back to our bad...
The Internet is not your doctor
A colleague was telling me about his son who found it difficult to relax during job interviews. He would feel very anxious and start sweating and stuttering and his heart beat goes up.Despite scoring...
How to prepare for a job interview
My son was called for an interview last week so I had to give him few tips on how to handle the interview.Knowing him, I was rather worried about the interaction with the interviewers than the actual...
Are you being recognised at work?
The twenty eight-year-old engineer says, “let’s call him Ahmed” who worked very hard from the first days in the company he worked at, he spent extra hours completing his tasks and achieved his...
When your parent becomes your child
What do you do when you notice that your parent has become a new person?The calm, loving and caring mother or father is replaced by someone who mixes up your names, accuses you of stealing his key,...
The psychology of nostalgia
A few weeks ago, a middle-aged woman came to my clinic with her mother, and when she introduced herself, I took a closer look and said, "You were my teacher in my first year in university". We were...
Who wants to be an influencer?
If you have travelled recently, you would have booked your hotel through a website, and most likely, you read the reviews written by previous travellers who stayed there and shared their impressions....
Home is where the heart is
A seventy-old woman was recently brought to my clinic by her son who was concerned about her memory. Although being of Omani origin, she has been living in Zanzibar all her life even after her...