UAE blanks mental health woes

zoom

Psychiatric care in the UAE is far below standard, report regional experts. (Getty Images)

Local mental health experts have lashed out at the provision of psychiatric care in the United Arab Emirates, branding the level of resources available as "rock bottom".

Speaking on the sidelines of a conference hosted by Harvard Medical School Dubai Center, Valsamma Eapen, PhD, professor of child psychiatry at the UAE University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, said mental health remained off the agenda of local health authorities.

"There is an absolute lack of resources. When it comes to child mental health, you hardly see the multidisciplinary team that you would expect - the resources here are really rock bottom."

Melanie Schlatter, PhD, of the Human Relations Insitute, Dubai, said that the UAE is vastly underserved in psychology with a severe shortage of board-certified health psychologists. The lack of provision results in many residents remaining undiagnosed and allows existing stigmas surrounding mental health to prevail.

"Patients can fly under the radar because the provision is not there," Schlatter said. "There is a stigma attached with going to a psychiatrist or a psychologist wherever you go, but I think it could be worse here."

Eapen said that poor awareness among physicians was also holding back treatment of mental health problems in the UAE, particularly with regard to paediatric patients.

"In general most people are scared of using these medicines on children," Eapen added. "It is probably because of their own training backgrounds."

Regional physicians' discomfort over dispensing psychiatric medicine to children was not evidence-based, claimed Eapen.

"Every medicine has its side-effects, and you don't want side effects to replace a problem, but you have to get a balance," said Eapen. "A lack of confidence together with a lack of training in the system makes it difficult to dispense psychiatric medicine from primary healthcare."

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

View all comments (4)

Have your say

HEALTH MATTER IN UAE
Posted by beeline0007, dallas, USA on Thursday 26 June 2008 at 09:28 UAE time

Well, at least someone is trying to do something about it! More resources should be allocated as importance is realised.

Reply to Mr maio
Posted by Hassan K, Dubai, UAE on Wednesday 5 December 2007 at 00:01 UAE time


As an Arab, I know for sure there IS stigma here. This is no secret, so why try to hide it? We also hold respect for the doctors who are actually trying to help this situation with few resources. Let them speak the truth. Mr Jimmy is correct. Mr Maio, your phonebook, testimonials and point of view are of no help or relevance to people in the UAE.

crazy talk
Posted by jimmynostrils on Monday 3 December 2007 at 11:00 UAE time


You do realise that Dubai is not in the US? It is difficult to see where the speaker errs if you are referring to the UAE, where mental health provision is almost non-existent. Unfortunately, overcoming the regional stigma of mental health will take more than positive thinking and an American phone book. And since when did educators avoid citing truths that might be inconvenient for their discipline? Surely acknowledging a problem is the first step in treating it? Just because it is big business in the US does not mean psychiatry is globally accepted - and it certainly has no relevance to its provision in the UAE.

Teaching
Posted by Harold A. Maio, Ft Myers, FL on Monday 3 December 2007 at 08:00 UAE time

"There is a "stigma" attached with going to a psychiatrist or a psychologist "wherever you go," but I think it could be worse here." Melanie Schlatter, PhD Human Relations Insitute, Dubai Educators are supposed to overcome prejudices, not cite them as being so. The speaker errs, as well, not a positive sign for an educator: Indeed mentsla helaht treatment is main street in most of the US, simply check the phone book for listings of the hundreds of thousands of people advertising their help, and all on main street. In my small town, more than a page for psychotherapists, a page for counselors, a half page for psychiatrists. And the type is small. Harold A. Maio Advisory Board American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Former Board Member Partners in Crisis Former Consulting Editor Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal Boston University Language Consultant UPENN Collaborative on Community Integration of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities Home: 8955 Forest St Ft Myers FL 33907 khmaio@earthlink.net 239-275-5798

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM