Meltdown hurting pockets,minds as well

“A lot of patients are coming in to find a way out of the psychological impact of the slowdown. Though the patients belong to all age groups,those who are younger find it easier to cope than those who are 45 years of age and above,” said Dr Natasha d’Cruz,a city-based clinical psychologist.

Aman Pandey,a 30-something architect was to get married to his long-time girlfriend in July. “In January,my company had to downsize and everyone was given 30-40 per cent salary cuts. Then,my girlfriend lost her job. The wedding has been postponed indefinitely,” said Pandey. “I’m hopeful that the recession won’t last too long,” he added.

Facing similar woes is 50-year-old Salil Mukherjee,who was recently given the pink slip by his banking firm. “I have a daughter,whose marriage is a huge concern. This could not have happened at a worse time,” lamented Mukherjee.

“In addition,by the time the recession gets over,more and more young people would be vying for jobs and I’ll find it even tougher to get a job,” he added.

The emotional cost of a scenario where you are not sure about paying for a home loan or car loan is definitely taking its toll. The manifest side effects of this turmoil appear in the form of high blood pressure,high levels of stress and emotional instability.

“It’s worse for those who are past their prime age in terms of productivity. What works with people who are younger is that they have a solid support system in place,with friends and family helping out. They also have age on their side. However,for those past the threshold level and are in the mid-40s,it’s very tough to reconcile to a bleak professional future laden with financial uncertainties,” said Dr D’Cruz

Niloufer Ebrahim who deals with a whole lot of IT crowd confirms that there has been a huge rise of depression amongst this section of professionals. “Many of them can’t come to terms with the job loss. I try and tell them to face the situation and take responsibility for what has happened rather than indulge in blame-game. What makes the effect of recession so strong is that the middle-class has burgeoned in the last two decades and the number of people affected is huge,” he said

D’Cruz feels that attitude is everything. “I tell all my patients that the best way is to look at the glass as half full rather than half empty. Though it might not be apparent right now,there must be something good which will come out of this situation,” she said.