DOHA: Depression and anxiety account for 17.5 percent of mental health disorders diagnosed in Qatar, but a mental health specialist at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) says up to 80 percent of patients are able to recover with treatment.
According to Dr Mohamed Ali Siddig Ahmed, Director of HMC’s Community Mental Health Services, most patients diagnosed with depression and anxiety are classified as mild to moderate cases. He said around 20 percent of patients are diagnosed with severe depression and notes that those between the ages of 30 to 40 are most at risk of severe depression and anxiety.
“Anxiety and depression can affect anyone, at any time and can affect different people in different ways. Just like a physical illness, mental illness can be treated. Mental illnesses are manageable conditions and recovery is possible. As with physical health conditions, early diagnosis and support are key to successfully treating mental illness,” said Dr Ahmed.
While HMC is the main provider of specialist mental healthcare in Qatar, the healthcare provider works alongside Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and private sector clinics and hospitals to deliver mental health care in a variety of settings, according to the needs of individual patients.
Dr Mohamed Ali Siddig Ahmed
Dr Fatema Musa, Head of the Mental Health Program at PHCC, agrees and says that HMC and PHCC are working together to provide more integrated care for mental health patients. She said mental health services are available across all PHCC health centers.
“Upwards of 20 percent of people will have a common mental illness such as depression or anxiety at some point in their life. At PHCC, we have ensured that common mental illnesses are identified and treated as a routine part of our clinical practice,” said Dr Musa.
Two years ago, HMC opened a community-based mental health facility in Muaither which provides specialist outpatient and inpatient mental health services. The facility works alongside HMC’s existing hospital-based services and receives patients referred from the ten PHCC Health Centers located in the western region.
According to Dr Ahmed, to date around 1,200 patients have been cared for at the facility in Muaither and he says about half of those were treated for depression and anxiety. Dr Ahmed noted that patients referred from PHCC health centers in the southern region, including the facilities in Al Wakra, Al Thumama, and the Airport area, are cared for by the mental health service at Al Wakra Hospital. He said the establishment of the mental health services in both Al Wakra Hospital and Al Khor Hospital was an important step forward in increasing access to specialized mental health care in the community.
“We have comprehensive programs, including a number of services that are based in the community. Our depression and anxiety treatment programs use a holistic approach, which for some patients includes a focus on improving independence and learning new life skills,” said Dr. Ahmed.
Dr Ahmed noted that many patients with mental illness remain underserved, in part because of the stigma associated with seeking help. One of the aims of the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 is increased community awareness about mental health illness and services. Speaking about the significance of the Strategy and its focus on mental health and wellbeing, Iain Tulley, National Health Strategy Lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing and CEO of Mental Health at HMC, said it is essential to consider physical and mental health together.
“One in four of us will suffer from a mental health condition at some point in our life. Failure to address this can impact negatively on our physical health,” said Tulley.
Conversely, he said, many people with physical health conditions like diabetes and heart disease suffer from anxiety and depression, which can impact further on their wellbeing.
