Middle East

Nepali psychiatrist guidance for Nepalese in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has been one of the largest single destinations for Nepali labour migration for decades, with hundreds of thousands of Nepalis working in construction, security, hospitality, retail and domestic work across cities like Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, almost all on employer-sponsored (kafala-linked) work visas. Contracts of two years are common, sometimes without a home visit in between, and long shifts in extreme summer heat are frequently combined with shared labour-camp accommodation offering little privacy for a phone call, let alone a video appointment. The steady weight of remittance responsibility, distance from spouse and children for years at a stretch, and a workplace culture where raising a mental health concern can feel risky to job security all build up quietly. Domestic workers, largely women, face an additional layer of isolation, often living within an employer's household with very limited free time and little contact with other Nepalis. Many describe not having language to name what they're feeling as anything other than 'homesickness,' when what has developed over months is a genuine depressive or anxiety disorder that deserves proper treatment, not just endurance.