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QNA
Doha
Initial findings from the Qatar National Mental Health Attitudes and Awareness Survey 2020 released Wednesday by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) show a significant increase in awareness of mental health among Qatar’s population.
The survey, the third carried out by MoPH, is the largest representative survey of its kind in Qatar and involved the collection of data from 1,100 citizens and residents of Qatar aged between 16 and 64 years old.
“The 2020 Qatar National Mental Health Attitudes and Awareness Survey plays an important role in monitoring the progress of the public health sector in achieving its strategic objectives and provides a diagnostic tool which tracks the effectiveness of mental health promotion and prevention initiatives across four key measures,” Director of Public Health Department at MoPH Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani said.
He added that the survey’s findings provide insights into awareness, knowledge and practice of mental health and well-being in the community.
He noted that the understanding gained from these insights will help the ministry develop better and more effective health services and communications that would ultimately enhance the well-being, happiness and overall health for the people in Qatar.
The full findings of the survey will be available later in the year. However, initial findings clearly show the level of awareness and understanding of mental health and well-being in the community has risen in recent years.
In 2018, half of the adults surveyed (52 percent) claimed to be moderately to highly aware of mental health, compared to three-quarters of adults (77 percent) in 2020.
Acting Executive Director of National Mental Health Programme Susan Clelland, who was the advisor on the survey, said that MoPH and its healthcare partners have made significant progress in raising awareness of mental health and well-being in the community in recent years.
She said, “Providing people with positive messages about mental illness and raising people’s awareness through education and information is supporting a better understanding of mental illness and reducing its impact. One of the most important things we can do to improve mental health in Qatar is to keep highlighting this important topic and raising awareness so that people become more comfortable talking about it. This is why we recently launched a campaign under the theme ‘Are you OK?’ to encourage people to talk more openly about their emotional wellbeing.”
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29/10/2020
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