Why Gulf Workers Still Hide Mental Health Struggles at Work

Think about the last time you called in sick without saying why. Most of us do it without a second thought when it’s the flu or a bad back. But for a lot of people across the Gulf, saying “I’m dealing with anxiety” or “I’m in therapy” to a manager still feels like a much bigger risk – one that could change how a boss sees them long after the conversation ends.

That gap between how openly we’re told to talk about mental health and how safe people actually feel doing it is the subject of a new look at workplace culture from counselling and HR experts in the UAE. It’s a conversation that applies just as much here in Kuwait, where many of us work alongside colleagues from the same companies, industries and even the same HR policies used across the region.

Why staying quiet isn’t always about stigma

It’s easy to assume someone keeps a mental health condition private because they’re embarrassed by it. Katrina Spartalis, a counselling psychologist and founder of Bloomfield Counselling & Psychology, pushes back on that idea.

She points out that an employee can be completely at peace with seeing a therapist, taking medication, or living with a diagnosis, and still simply feel that it belongs to their private life – the same way most of us wouldn’t volunteer details about a medical test or a family issue at the office. “We generally accept that people are entitled to boundaries around their physical health, relationships and family circumstances. Mental health deserves the same respect,” Spartalis said.

The worry, she explains, often isn’t about outright discrimination. It’s quieter than that – a fear of being seen as “fragile” or less able to handle pressure, of ordinary stress suddenly being read as a symptom, or of being left off a demanding project because someone thinks they’re being protective.

When struggles show up at work anyway

Mental health doesn’t always stay neatly separate from the workday. Someone with anxiety might struggle physically before a big meeting. A person living with depression may find it hard to focus or get through a normal shift. Someone else might repeatedly check their own work, afraid a small mistake will spiral into something serious.

None of these signs point to one specific diagnosis on their own. But they show how personal struggles can shape a person’s working day even when nobody around them knows what’s going on. That raises a genuinely hard question for employers: how do you support someone who’s struggling without expecting them to explain why?

Spartalis is clear that encouraging openness shouldn’t tip into expecting it. “Psychological safety should include the safety to speak, but also the safety not to speak,” she said. She also warns against workplaces sliding from “you’re allowed to talk about your mental health” into an unspoken idea that a psychologically healthy person should be talking about it. Some people process things by talking to colleagues; others prefer family, friends or a professional – and neither approach is healthier than the other.

So how should a manager handle it?

Sarah Brooks, Managing Director of Fikrah HR, says the starting point for managers is noticing changes – in attendance, behaviour or performance – without jumping to conclusions about the cause.

1. Have the conversation privately, not in front of the team.
2. Open with a neutral, caring observation rather than a direct question about health – something like “I’ve noticed a change and wanted to check whether you’re okay.”
3. Make clear the employee decides what, if anything, they want to share.
4. If they’d rather not discuss it, respect that, but explain what support is available and offer to check in again later.
5. Focus the conversation on practical things – workload, deadlines, working arrangements – rather than asking about a diagnosis, medication or treatment.

Brooks is firm that managers aren’t expected to diagnose anyone or act as therapists. Their job is to listen, make reasonable adjustments where they can, and point employees towards qualified support when needed. Questions about psychiatric treatment or a specific diagnosis, she says, can be intrusive unless that information is genuinely required through a proper occupational-health or formal employment process.

What happens after someone speaks up matters more than any policy

For employees who do decide to disclose – often because they need a medical certificate or a change to their working arrangements – the real test comes afterwards. Brooks says research keeps identifying the same barriers to disclosure: stigma and fear of what it will cost someone’s career.

Employees watch closely what happens next. Does the information stay confidential? Do managers avoid gossip? Is performance judged fairly? Does the person keep getting the same opportunities as before? Spartalis adds that culture is built through these everyday moments – how a manager reacts when someone is struggling, how colleagues talk about mental health when that person isn’t in the room – far more than through the number of wellbeing workshops a company runs.

As she puts it, the goal for employers shouldn’t be getting everyone to open up. It should be building a culture where someone who chooses to disclose can reasonably expect confidentiality, dignity and fair treatment afterwards.

What this means if you work in the Gulf

Kuwait’s workforce is deeply mixed in with regional companies, HR practices and, for many expats, family and professional ties to the UAE and beyond. The attitudes described here – treating mental health privacy the same as any other personal boundary, and judging workplace culture by what actually happens after someone speaks up – apply regardless of which Gulf country you’re sitting in.

It’s worth knowing that the specific legal protection mentioned, Federal Law No. 10 of 2023, is a UAE law and applies there, not automatically here. Kuwait’s own framework around mental health disclosure and job protection isn’t detailed in this discussion, so don’t assume the same safeguards apply if you’re working for a Kuwait-based employer. If you’re unsure of your rights at work, raising concerns through proper channels – such as filing a labour complaint through Sahel – is worth knowing about regardless of the reason behind the issue.

This also connects to a wider regional shift in how mental health is treated legally. The UAE’s recent decision to drop criminal penalties for attempted suicide is part of the same broader move towards treating mental health as a health matter rather than something to be punished or hidden. And if long hours or heavy workloads are part of what’s affecting someone’s wellbeing, it’s worth understanding what Kuwait’s labour law actually says about overtime, since unmanageable workloads are often tangled up with stress in the first place.

Quick answers