Your Insurance Will Soon Cover SOME Aspects Of Mental Health In Dubai

Avatar

A step in the right direction.

A review of health insurance is underway and officials reported on Monday that health insurance will eventually include mental health treatment and rehabilitation of debilitating physical and neurological conditions.

Authorities are recognising the need for longer periods of care for patients post Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stays and are reviewing mandatory health insurance to reflect this.

“We cannot ignore mental health”

Until now, mental health was not recognised by insurance however, Dr Younis Al Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Health Care Corporation stated it will be part of the new mental health strategy.

Mental health care will focus on aftercare for patients recovering from periods spent in ICU who struggle to revert back to normal life.

A report by Gulf News stated the initiative could mean an increase in insurance premiums.

READ: MENTAL HEALTH: WHAT TO DO WHEN LIFE SUCKS AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DEPRESSION

Shopping

See more

More like this

Mental Health: What To Do When Life Sucks And What You Need To Know About Depression

Avatar

Life in Dubai can be glowing, happiness, glamourous, big fun. 

But it can also be difficult – if you’re living away from your family, you might feel alone; it can sometimes be exhausting and things can get too much. 

Feeling lows is normal – life, and emotions, come in waves, but if it’s ongoing, or you feel not right – you should seek professional help. 

Clinical psychologist at LightHouse Arabia, Dr Nick Wakefield explains some key indicators that you might be more than just feeling sad. 

The difference between depression and feeling sad

Dr Wakefield explains that there are differences in the two, one being an emotion – and one a clinical condition. 

He says: Sadness is a normal emotional state usually in direct response to an event or stressful period and it passes with time.  Sadness is usually understandable and does not persistently affect most or all areas of life.  Depression affects someone persistently for a prolonged period of time.  A diagnosis of depression requires a person to have experienced some of the symptoms described above for a period of two weeks.  When depressed it can be difficult to identify the cause.  However, depression can also be considered a normal reaction to a set of life circumstances where a person is persistently faced with adversity – for example: emotionally, relationally, economically.”

Specific symptoms pertaining to depression  

Depression can affect emotions, thinking, behaviour, physical wellbeing, the ability to study, work and to have satisfying relationships. 

Dr Wakefield explains that people will usually notice they are finding it difficult to to the things they normally do in most domains of life; work, social or family. He lists further indicators you may be experiencing depression. 

  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities 
  • Lack of energy and tiredness 
  • Feeling worthless or guilty when not really at fault 
  • Thinking about death a lot or wishing they were dead 
  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  • Moving slowly or, sometimes, becoming agitated and unable to settle
  • Having sleeping difficulties or, sometimes, sleeping too much
  • Loss of interest in food, or, sometimes, eating too much.

If you are experiencing some of these, Dr Wakefield recommends talking to someone as an initial step

“The most important first step is talk to someone about it, a friend, a colleague, a professional.  Often the first port of call is to speak to a rusted medical professional like a GP who can refer you to a mental health professional like a psychologist or psychiatrist.  Get help as soon as possible to prevent the problem getting worse.  Many people avoid getting help at first because they think that they will be judged, should ‘just get on with it’, or that it’s a sign of weakness.  Everybody needs help sometimes.”

He says that depression affects around 5% of the population in the UAE, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – and 50% of people who experience depression will have had their first episode by 25 years of age. 

Dr Nick Wakefield is a clinical psychologist at LightHouse Center for Wellbeing. 

See lighthousearabia.com

Shopping

See more

More like this

5 Places You Can Visit To Improve Your Mental Health And Wellbeing

Avatar

Let’s start with some numbers.

The World Health Organization states that one in four adults live with a mental disorder and nearly two thirds do not seek treatment.

And mental illness knows no borders

So here in the UAE, things are no different to the rest of the world.

In fact, two of the top three causes of ill health here are anxiety and depression, according to Gulf News.

And it’s hard to examine the issue of mental wellbeing without paying attention to the structure of a workforce in a country when such a large amount of an adult’s time is spent at work.

Around 42% of UAE employees describe their offices as stressful

The report was conducted by Steelcase Inc and IPSOS last year and they interviewed 564 employees under the age of 45 in the UAE as part of global research covering more than 10,000 employees.

Of those interviewed in the UAE, only 47% believed their company took an interest in their wellbeing, health and safety, compared to a global average of 54%, the study found.

Stress, overwork and the isolation of being an expatriate abroad are among common causes

More UAE companies are now offering mental health support for employees. Here are a few:

1. N3 Executive Coaching

N3 Executive Coaching combines neuropsychology, data, and biotechnology to provide ‘results-oriented coaching’.

NeuroFIT programme is designed to train the brain to find balance, happiness, increase fitness and overcome migraine, insomnia, burnout, weight gain, emotional distress and anxieties.

2. The American Wellness Center

The American Wellness Center offers a variety of counseling and guidance options for work-based needs for groups and individuals. These include cultural acceptance and diversity training, workplace emotional wellness programmes, and trauma and stress management for people of all ages across the UAE.

Logo 3

3. Miracles

Miracles offers seminars and workshops on topics such as mind management and work-life balance, meditations and exercises around stress relief and self-confidence, and individual sessions on anger and stress management.

4. The Lighthouse Centre

The Lighthouse Centre offers counselling for team building, therapy for traumatised employees, and executive coaching.

It also works with HR departments to help companies build happier workforces and provides diversity training and recruitment assessments.

5. The American Center for Psychology and Neurology

The American Center for Psychology and Neurology deals with stress management, anger management and workplace anxiety.


Shopping

See more

More like this