The UAE attaches great importance to care and mental health, which it considers an integral part of public health and a major factor in the well-being and stability of society and the ability of its children to give and be creative, and to continue the development process and achieve it to the fullest.
The UAE has made qualitative leaps in the provision of mental health services and the ease of access to them by all segments of everyone through a set of qualitative procedures, policies and initiatives, as well as the launch of the national policy to promote mental health and digital solutions in this field.
The UAE joins the world in its celebration of the “World Mental Health Day”, which falls on October 10 of each year and represents an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health issues and mobilize international efforts to support mental health.
The National Policy for the Promotion of Mental Health, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in May 2017, formed the basis for preparing a multi-sectoral national framework to promote mental health, develop its services, and raise it to the best international levels, according to an effective system that works in partnership with the authorities concerned with providing mental services.
The national policy for the promotion of mental health has identified five main strategic goals, including enhancing the effectiveness of leadership aspects in the field of mental health, developing, strengthening and expanding the scope of comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health services that are responsive to the needs and directed to the community of all groups and ages, strengthening multi-sectoral cooperation to implement the mental health promotion policy, and promoting prevention of mental health problems. Mental disorders for all groups and ages of society, in addition to strengthening capacities, improving information systems, collecting, using and activating data, and conducting research on mental health for the purpose of developing its services.
The procedures and options included in the policy included providing mental health services to outpatients, developing inpatient mental health units in mental health hospitals, and establishing community mental health services, including awareness services, home care and support services, emergency care, and community rehabilitation.
In 2019, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced the launch of a number of digital solutions in the field of mental and psychological health, which will make a qualitative leap in clinical practices, within the framework of supporting and empowering mental patients through specialized treatment and awareness programs, in addition to training young doctors on Virtual reality experience for medical specialties.
The digital solutions include treatment with the help of virtual reality technology to understand schizophrenia, and to learn more deeply about the suffering of people with this disease, by relying on the “Gear by Oculus” technology. In addition to other virtual reality techniques to treat psychotic patients, victims of bullying, and young people with OCD, as well as an innovative program of cognitive behavioral therapy to enhance resilience that is being offered in primary schools.
In turn, the Emirates Foundation for Health Services launched a package of initiatives specialized in the field of mental health, such as the “Nasalcom” initiative, which includes the activation of health guidance clinics in primary health care centers, as well as the “e-clinic for community mental health” and the “Speak to be heard” initiative to provide psychological counseling to members of the community and the electronic unit for early detection of Autism, Dementia Early Detection Program Using Artificial Intelligence, and Psychological Support Initiative for Healthcare Providers.
Coinciding with the World Mental Health Day, the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi launched the “Parents’ Guide to Mental Health” to enhance parents’ awareness of the correct understanding and handling of mental health concepts and enable them to live in a healthy family environment.
The guide provides all the information and concepts parents need about dealing with the pressures of daily life and moving towards a stable and healthy life. It also deals with the importance of mental health and how it affects the behavior, thoughts and feelings of individuals and families, and its reflection on their daily lives and their ability to adapt to psychological pressures.
Mental health care for employees is receiving increasing attention in the UAE, which has recently witnessed the implementation of many creative initiatives in this context with the aim of enhancing the positive work environment and improving the capabilities and productivity of its employees.
In 2020, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources launched the “Hayat” psychological and moral support program for federal government employees, with the aim of enhancing the mental health of employees, and helping them with the support of specialists and consultants in leading companies at the state level.
The program is based on several axes, most notably the strengthening of institutional awareness of the importance of the moral and psychological health of employees, enabling the employee to achieve a balance between work and social life with the need to provide the necessary moral and psychological care for all employees, and finding the required balance for employees intellectually, physically and emotionally, in addition to emphasizing the values of harmonization between Institutional and functional goals on the one hand, and personal ambitions on the other.
At the local level, there are many examples and models that reflect the extent of interest in the health of employees in various fields of work, for example, the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Department of Health, the Abu Dhabi Center for Public Health, and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company “SEHA”, through the “response” line, provides a service Psychological support for all individuals / including employees / who suffer from various psychological pressures.
In Dubai, the General Directorate of Civil Defense in Dubai provides counseling and support services in the field of health and moral and psychological support to its members with the aim of reducing the effects that they are exposed to while performing their professional role in saving lives and property.
In turn, the Ajman Human Resources Department launched the “30 minutes” mental health promotion program for Ajman government employees with the aim of enhancing institutional awareness of the importance of the moral and psychological health of employees and to overcome pressures and challenges with the support of specialists and consultants in the field of mental health.
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