KUWAIT: With the establishment of 68 public clinics now providing primary mental health care across different areas in the country, Kuwait has broadened access to mental health services for all citizens and residents aged 18 and up, according to Dr Mariam Al-Qattan, a Family Medicine consultant and Head of the Mental Health Program in Primary Health Care. In these clinics, Dr Qattan informed Kuwait Times that healthcare providers are family doctors with additional qualifications in mental health care.

She explained that, as primary healthcare centers, the clinics address common mental health issues, such as mild to moderate depression, general anxiety like panic attacks, certain phobias, burnout, and sleep disorders. Based on the diagnosis and nature of each patient’s case, a treatment plan is developed that may involve drug therapy, behavioral therapy through sessions, or a combination of both. “Typically, the treatment plan is a collaborative effort between the patient and the doctor,” Qattan said.

“For severe cases requiring urgent attention or specialized psychiatric intervention, patients are promptly referred to a psychiatrist at the Kuwait Center for Mental Health,” Qattan added. In some instances, patients may also be referred to Kuwait’s public hospitals, which provide mental health care services through secondary care clinics for more specialized evaluation and treatment.

For patients experiencing mental health symptoms, whether simple or severe, Qattan urged them to immediately visit the nearest clinic according to the home address registered on their personal IDs. Family doctors at these clinics will assess patients’ conditions by reviewing their medical history and conducting tests if needed.

They will then provide the necessary treatment, either at the same clinic, through a referral to another clinic, or by directing patients to a hospital, depending on the nature of the case. Access to mental health services can be obtained through different ways: by getting a referral from a general practitioner or specialist and scheduling an appointment at a health center, or by booking online through the Ministry of Health’s portal. Electronic appointment requests are handled by a call center where family doctors review and sort cases before directing them to the nearest mental health clinic based on the patient’s home address.

According to Qattan, the integration of mental health services into public clinics in Kuwait was a collaborative effort with the Kuwait Center for Mental Health, starting in 2011 to increase accessibility to mental health care services across the country. The initiative began with just six clinics in 2014, providing very basic services. Since then, both the number of clinics and the quality of services have steadily improved each year, increasing awareness among patients and medical professionals about the availability of these services.