Saudi launches national mental health survey

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PSYCHIATRIC STUDY: Saudi is conducting a national wide survey of mental health disorders and clinical trials into prevention and treatments. (Getty images)

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to carry out a mental health survey of its entire population with the help of public and private healthcare organisations, it was reported on Sunday.

The survey was launched at a conference on disability and rehabilitation in Riyadh on Saturday, and aims to identify the epidemiology of diseases that result in mental health disorders across thw Kingdom, according to Saudi daily Arab News.

Prevalence and morbidity of different psychiatric diseases would be studied to determine their impact over a year-long period, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Disabled Children’s Association, who launched the initiative.

“The programme is meant for conducting epidemiological surveys of diseases related to mental health. It will identify the prevalence and risk factors associated with mental illnesses in the Kingdom,” he told the Third International Conference on Disability and Rehabilitation.

The study, which will be carried out by the Prince Salman Centre for Disability Research (PSCDR), would also assess the provision of mental health services to the wider population, he added.

“On successful completion, the survey will provide a reliable assessment of the pattern of utilization of mental health services in the Kingdom and correlate demographic and cultural data with regard to various psychiatric conditions,” Prince Sultan told delegates.

In addition a raft of clinical research projects, spanning five years, would be carried out to investigate the prevention and treatment of mental health disorders, he said.

Funding totalling SR50m was being provided by the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for the research, the Prince revealed.

“The aim of this initiative is to establish programmes that will advance research and clinical trials that will help in the prevention and treatment of diseases resulting in disability. Partners in this project include Shiley Eye Institute, the University of Florida, the University of San Diego, the University of Utah and Harvard Medical School,” he said.

Other plans will see a national disability charity established by the PSCDR to collate data that will help health care professionals, researchers, policy makers and the public make informed decisions on mental health issues.

It will be set up with the cooperation of relevant ministries and international NGOs such as World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Development Programme.

The epidemiological survey will be carried out in association with Dubai-based Abraaj Capital - the project’s chief financier - the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Harvard University and King Saud University.

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READERS' COMMENTS

mental health
Posted by dc qatar, Doha, Qatar on Sunday 22 March 2009 at 23:11 UAE time

a forward step, in the past these problems were ignored or attributed to some sin in the sufferer or his family in some former life! Good to see some progress in recognising problems as problems to be solved by us!

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