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Tribune News Network
Doha
THE Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), along with Qatar’s leading healthcare providers, has launched a public awareness campaign to educate the public about mental health and to remove the stigmas associated with mental health conditions.
The MoPH is collaborating with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Sidra Medicine and Naufar for the campaign, which begins on the occasion of World Mental Health Day on October 10.
Mahmoud Saleh al Raisi, chair of the National Taskforce for Mental Health and Wellbeing and chief of the Continuing Care Group at HMC, said that raising awareness of mental health and well-being is of enormous importance and is one of the seven priority areas outlined in Qatar’s National Health Strategy.
“Across the world, increasingly, more is being done to raise awareness of mental health issues. In Qatar, we want to go further as recent research suggests that one in five people in Qatar will be affected by a mental illness at any given point in time,” said Raisi.
Dr Samya Ahmad al Abdulla, deputy national lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing and executive director of Operations, PHCC, said, “Mental health is about the way we think, feel and behave and our ability to manage everyday situations.
“We all experience feelings of stress, anxiety, and sadness, and most of the time these feelings pass quickly, but for some people, these feelings persist and negatively impact their quality of life.”
One of the main challenges for people with mental illness is the stigma associated with it, which often makes it difficult for people experiencing mental health symptoms to talk openly and to seek help.
“This is why the campaign is being run under the theme ‘It’s OK not to be OK’, sending a clear message that mental health issues are very common and not something to be ashamed of. Mental health affects us all and the more comfortable we are talking about it, the easier it will be for people to ask for help,” said Dr Abdulla.
The symptoms of mental illness are often less obvious than those of physical illness, yet their impact on the sufferer can be equally debilitating.
Chair of the Mental Health Service at HMC Dr Majid al Abdulla said: “It is important that people understand the potential severity of mental illness. Just because the outward symptoms of conditions such as depression and anxiety can go unseen, we must not underestimate the impact they can have on the individual. Mental health and physical health should not be thought of as separate. They are often directly linked; physical illness can increase a person’s risk of developing mental illness and, similarly, mental illness can negatively impact on physical health.”
Iain Tulley, Qatar National Health Strategy 2018-2022 lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing and CEO of HMC’s Mental Health Service, stated: “The launch of this campaign emphasises the priority that is being given to mental health across the health system and the country. We will continue to work with healthcare partners and other organisations across Qatar to raise the profile of mental health and wellbeing and to promote an environment where mental health is talked about as openly as physical health.”
The campaign will run throughout October and November and include messaging via newspapers, TV, radio, and social media, as well as several events for both the community and healthcare workers.
The campaign’s first community event will take place inside the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) on October 11-12. Staff from mental health teams across the healthcare system will be offering advice and education on mental health issues to the public. “We are delighted to be collaborating with the Ministry of Public Health and its partners for these activities,” said Dr Julia Gonnella, director of MIA.
Doha
THE Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), along with Qatar’s leading healthcare providers, has launched a public awareness campaign to educate the public about mental health and to remove the stigmas associated with mental health conditions.
The MoPH is collaborating with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Sidra Medicine and Naufar for the campaign, which begins on the occasion of World Mental Health Day on October 10.
Mahmoud Saleh al Raisi, chair of the National Taskforce for Mental Health and Wellbeing and chief of the Continuing Care Group at HMC, said that raising awareness of mental health and well-being is of enormous importance and is one of the seven priority areas outlined in Qatar’s National Health Strategy.
“Across the world, increasingly, more is being done to raise awareness of mental health issues. In Qatar, we want to go further as recent research suggests that one in five people in Qatar will be affected by a mental illness at any given point in time,” said Raisi.
Dr Samya Ahmad al Abdulla, deputy national lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing and executive director of Operations, PHCC, said, “Mental health is about the way we think, feel and behave and our ability to manage everyday situations.
“We all experience feelings of stress, anxiety, and sadness, and most of the time these feelings pass quickly, but for some people, these feelings persist and negatively impact their quality of life.”
One of the main challenges for people with mental illness is the stigma associated with it, which often makes it difficult for people experiencing mental health symptoms to talk openly and to seek help.
“This is why the campaign is being run under the theme ‘It’s OK not to be OK’, sending a clear message that mental health issues are very common and not something to be ashamed of. Mental health affects us all and the more comfortable we are talking about it, the easier it will be for people to ask for help,” said Dr Abdulla.
The symptoms of mental illness are often less obvious than those of physical illness, yet their impact on the sufferer can be equally debilitating.
Chair of the Mental Health Service at HMC Dr Majid al Abdulla said: “It is important that people understand the potential severity of mental illness. Just because the outward symptoms of conditions such as depression and anxiety can go unseen, we must not underestimate the impact they can have on the individual. Mental health and physical health should not be thought of as separate. They are often directly linked; physical illness can increase a person’s risk of developing mental illness and, similarly, mental illness can negatively impact on physical health.”
Iain Tulley, Qatar National Health Strategy 2018-2022 lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing and CEO of HMC’s Mental Health Service, stated: “The launch of this campaign emphasises the priority that is being given to mental health across the health system and the country. We will continue to work with healthcare partners and other organisations across Qatar to raise the profile of mental health and wellbeing and to promote an environment where mental health is talked about as openly as physical health.”
The campaign will run throughout October and November and include messaging via newspapers, TV, radio, and social media, as well as several events for both the community and healthcare workers.
The campaign’s first community event will take place inside the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) on October 11-12. Staff from mental health teams across the healthcare system will be offering advice and education on mental health issues to the public. “We are delighted to be collaborating with the Ministry of Public Health and its partners for these activities,” said Dr Julia Gonnella, director of MIA.
