The UAE celebrates the World Mental Health Day, which was approved by the United Nations on October 10 every year.
The event aims to enhance awareness of mental health issues and mobilize international efforts for more investment in this aspect, which is an essential part of the public health system, according to the Emirates News Agency, “WAM”.
The occasion this year comes at a time when the nature of daily life has witnessed a major change as a result of the spread of the new Corona virus and the challenges and difficulties it imposed in terms of work, study and social relations, with which there was a need for more support in the field of mental health and psychosocial support.
In the UAE, providing psychological support to community members was an important part of the integrated efforts to confront the repercussions of the emerging corona virus.
In March, the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing launched a national campaign for psychological support for community members through the “Don’t Cryo They” initiative, in cooperation with more than 50 experts and psychologists, to help community members overcome the psychological impact of the challenge associated with the virus.
The initiative “Don’t Cry They Are – The National Campaign for Psychological Support”, which is implemented remotely using digital media and social media tools, has 3 components.
The first component is entitled “Let’s support together”, which is a daily live broadcast through which experts and psychologists provide psychological support to community members, answer their psychological questions, and the necessary advice and guidance, and help them overcome the challenges they face in these circumstances.
The second component is entitled “Let us rest assured together” and it is a series of short and focused awareness programs presented by professionals, inspiring people and people with life skills aiming to provide awareness about resilience and psychological resilience during the current challenge.
The third component of the National Campaign for Psychological Support, entitled “Let’s Talk Together,” came as virtual closed sessions to provide psychosocial support to different groups of society, including mothers, students, the elderly and other groups that need psychological support during the current period.
For its part, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has dedicated the hotline 04-5192519 to provide psychological counseling and psychological support for cases of anxiety and tension associated with the “Covid-19” crisis.
Anyone can talk to the psychologists in the ministry daily from nine in the morning until nine in the evening, from Sunday to Thursday, or send an email to Al-Amal Hospital.
In turn, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources launched the Psychological and Moral Support and Support Program “Hayat”, which aims to assist federal government employees in dealing with exceptional circumstances related to the emerging Coronavirus and the psychological and social pressures and challenges that follow.
The program allows federal government employees to communicate with “Life Works”, a social and psychological support center specialized in providing advice and support in the field of mental and moral health, according to the cooperation agreement concluded between the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and the center.
Satisfaction with the level of care for mental and mental health is one of the main performance indicators for achieving a health system with international standards in accordance with the UAE National Agenda 2021.
In 2017, the UAE adopted the National Policy for the Promotion of Mental Health, which identified major strategic objectives that include enhancing the effectiveness of leadership aspects in the field of mental health, developing, strengthening and expanding the range of comprehensive, integrated, needs-responsive mental health services for the community of all groups and ages, as well as strengthening multisectoral cooperation to implement Mental Health Promotion Policy.
In 2019, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announced the launch of a number of digital solutions in the field of mental and psychological health, which will transform clinical practice.
This is in the context of supporting and empowering psychiatric patients through specialized treatment and awareness programs, in addition to training young doctors to experience virtual reality for medical specialties.
These digital solutions include therapy with the help of virtual reality technology to understand schizophrenia, and to get to know more deeply what people with this disease suffer, by relying on “Gear by Oculus” technology to other virtual reality techniques to treat psychotic patients, victims of bullying, and young people with OCD. Compulsive
As well as an innovative program of cognitive behavioral therapy to enhance resilience that is offered in primary schools.
Returning to the World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization has sent a set of advice that helps people take care of their mental health during the current circumstances that the world is going through due to the Corona pandemic.
The organization called for exercising regularly, eating healthy, getting enough hours of sleep, avoiding as much as possible from following news that raises anxiety or tension, and reducing the time of use of screen devices.
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