Depressed being away from home? Help is at hand

Austrian-born Stefan Ritsch and Megan French-Ritsch, have been living in the UAE for 8 years and over the past 5 years have spent their evenings and weekends working on Enritsch, a company aiming to make a positive contribution to humanity

Having witnessed first-hand, the negative impact that anxiety, depression and isolation, can have on loved ones and communities–they made a commitment to do whatever they could to help make a difference.

While living in Australia, Megan worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS)-an aero medical service providing support to rural and remote areas. A large part of the work of the RFDS includes delivering mental health support services to indigenous communities.

During this time, Megan was exposed to the struggles that people in smaller communities faced around the stigma and discrimination associated with mental conditions.

Stefan, while working with the Red Cross in Germany, was exposed to the shame that people felt, and their hesitance to reach out, in times of need.

More than 10 years ago, Stefan and Megan started working on a plan to equip themselves with the skills and resources required in order to help more people like those they had seen suffering.

Their plan was to focus on establishing the foundational pillars for success in order to evoke a change. They invested in on-going education, living and working within culturally diverse communities and establishing the financial resources required to build a business, aimed at making a difference.

Their choice to launch the initiative in the UAE was a strategic decision given the region’s geographical location and close proximity to markets in the East and West. They also realized the need for support services in the Gulf.

Although companies in the UAE have stepped up efforts to create a healthier, happier education environment and workforce-the statistics of those suffering from mental illnesses speak for themselves. They highlight the need for ongoing education and awareness; and to equip people with the tools and resources to be able to achieve a positive state of physical, mental and social wellbeing.

This initiative is for people wanting to achieve an optimal state of wellbeing.

People can join the community for free, and find out about new trends & developments in health & wellness; seek advice from experts; download resources such as videos and apps; find service providers; leave and read peer reviews; access special offers; and other valueadd services to help them make informed decisions.

With 1 in 4 of the world’s 7 billion people affected by some type of mental health condition, even mild cases such as anxiety and depression-enritsch.com provides help and access to resources in a private environment for individuals to achieve wellbeing from a healthy mind and body.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.