Oman sees significant improvement in mental healthcare
Published: 04:07 PM,Jul 16,2023 | EDITED : 09:07 PM,Jul 16,2023
Mental healthcare in the Sultanate of Oman has achieved a level where government and private hospitals are capable of handling all kinds of mental health issues.
Speaking to the Observer, Dr Hamed al Sinawi, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at the Department of Behavioural Medicine at SQU Hospital and Chairman of Oman Alzheimer Society in Oman, said that mental health services in Oman have seen a significant improvement in terms of public awareness about mental illnesses and professional support due to increased public awareness on social media.
'There are a few requirements that need to be addressed in Oman to meet the mental health needs of the people,' he said, adding that 'This includes an ongoing awareness campaign that challenges common misconceptions about mental health and allows people experiencing mental illness to share their experiences and have a say on what service can be provided.' Last week a video went viral on social media about a recovered drug addict who was sharing his personal experience with addiction and how he could be on the way toward recovery.
'Such videos educate the public and stakeholders on what can be done to reduce the risk of addiction, which is one of the things destroying the health of teenagers and their families.' Government agencies and NGOs play a vital role in enhancing mental health services in the country. There are government and private initiatives to care for mental health issues of different age groups and nationalities.
Among the initiatives is educating couples to use divorce as the last option as it causes huge stress and ultimately cause for the mental health issue.
With an increasing rate of divorces in Oman )11 cases per day), counsellors and mental health educationists have been urged to address the issue as the ultimate victims turn out to be children who are left to live with one parent.
According to Dr Hamed, many reasons lead to divorces, and social changes also contribute to the surge in divorce rates.
'As recent reports suggest, around 11 cases of divorce take place in Oman on a daily basis, and mental health experts need to address this issue as this often leads to psychological harm to young children who end up living with one parent,' he said as Oman is to join the rest of the world to commemorate October 1 as World Mental Health Day.
The theme for this year is 'Mental health is a universal human right'. Mental health needs for people in Oman, like in other countries, is an important issue that needs to be addressed and discussed, especially since stigma is still a barrier stopping people from seeking help for mental health professionals.
Dr Hamed al Sinawi spoke about older people facing loneliness and social isolation.
'This is due to the fact that their family members are away from homes with work and they are left with non-Arabic speaking caregivers blocking communication to a great extent,' Dr Al Sinawi, who has a special interest in elderly mental health.
'More people are facing loneliness and social isolation like the elderly who are often left alone at home with caregivers or a housemaid who doesn't speak Arabic and is often busy with housework. We need to create awareness and develop services to meet the changing social structure where'.
According to him, unemployment is also a risk factor for mental health as people feel frustrated for not getting the jobs they studied for or having to take a low-paid job because that is what is available.
Mental health at the workplace is also an issue. In terms of working groups or corporate organisations, a few companies have begun to create mental health awareness programmes looking at workplace mental health such as stress, bullying, and life-work-balance.
'These programme has been developed to address the mental health needs of workers to improve their mental health needs towards enhancing their well-being to result in their productivity and work engagement,' Dr Al Sinawi said.
Similar is the call for mental health for people with special needs.
Services to cater to the needs of people with special needs have been developed. These cases include children with autism, attention deficiency, hyperactivity and ADHD who are benefitting from these programmes, which have been rather lately developed to address the need of these categories of the population, said Dr Hamed al Sinawi.
Speaking to the Observer, Dr Hamed al Sinawi, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at the Department of Behavioural Medicine at SQU Hospital and Chairman of Oman Alzheimer Society in Oman, said that mental health services in Oman have seen a significant improvement in terms of public awareness about mental illnesses and professional support due to increased public awareness on social media.
'There are a few requirements that need to be addressed in Oman to meet the mental health needs of the people,' he said, adding that 'This includes an ongoing awareness campaign that challenges common misconceptions about mental health and allows people experiencing mental illness to share their experiences and have a say on what service can be provided.' Last week a video went viral on social media about a recovered drug addict who was sharing his personal experience with addiction and how he could be on the way toward recovery.
'Such videos educate the public and stakeholders on what can be done to reduce the risk of addiction, which is one of the things destroying the health of teenagers and their families.' Government agencies and NGOs play a vital role in enhancing mental health services in the country. There are government and private initiatives to care for mental health issues of different age groups and nationalities.
Among the initiatives is educating couples to use divorce as the last option as it causes huge stress and ultimately cause for the mental health issue.
With an increasing rate of divorces in Oman )11 cases per day), counsellors and mental health educationists have been urged to address the issue as the ultimate victims turn out to be children who are left to live with one parent.
According to Dr Hamed, many reasons lead to divorces, and social changes also contribute to the surge in divorce rates.
'As recent reports suggest, around 11 cases of divorce take place in Oman on a daily basis, and mental health experts need to address this issue as this often leads to psychological harm to young children who end up living with one parent,' he said as Oman is to join the rest of the world to commemorate October 1 as World Mental Health Day.
The theme for this year is 'Mental health is a universal human right'. Mental health needs for people in Oman, like in other countries, is an important issue that needs to be addressed and discussed, especially since stigma is still a barrier stopping people from seeking help for mental health professionals.
Dr Hamed al Sinawi spoke about older people facing loneliness and social isolation.
'This is due to the fact that their family members are away from homes with work and they are left with non-Arabic speaking caregivers blocking communication to a great extent,' Dr Al Sinawi, who has a special interest in elderly mental health.
'More people are facing loneliness and social isolation like the elderly who are often left alone at home with caregivers or a housemaid who doesn't speak Arabic and is often busy with housework. We need to create awareness and develop services to meet the changing social structure where'.
According to him, unemployment is also a risk factor for mental health as people feel frustrated for not getting the jobs they studied for or having to take a low-paid job because that is what is available.
Mental health at the workplace is also an issue. In terms of working groups or corporate organisations, a few companies have begun to create mental health awareness programmes looking at workplace mental health such as stress, bullying, and life-work-balance.
'These programme has been developed to address the mental health needs of workers to improve their mental health needs towards enhancing their well-being to result in their productivity and work engagement,' Dr Al Sinawi said.
Similar is the call for mental health for people with special needs.
Services to cater to the needs of people with special needs have been developed. These cases include children with autism, attention deficiency, hyperactivity and ADHD who are benefitting from these programmes, which have been rather lately developed to address the need of these categories of the population, said Dr Hamed al Sinawi.