ShareKUWAIT: Much like visiting the doctor to treat physical ailments, psychotherapy provides individuals with ways to preserve their mental health and handle the pressures of life, making them more productive and functional in society. As the globe celebrates World Mental Health Day on October 10th, it is very important to spread awareness and highlight mental health for the betterment of people. Speaking on the issue with KUNA, a number of medical experts highlighted the importance of seeking help for psychological illnesses.
Dr. Khlood Al-AliHaving stable upbringings and inner peace are keys to becoming vital members of society, said Dr Khlood Al-Ali, head of Kuwait’s Center for Mental Health. This year’s celebration of World Mental Health Day is held under the theme “mental health is a universal human right”, revealed the medical expert, adding that mental disorders must be addressed to find the root causes of various problems facing individuals, which is a right for every human being. Whether the psychological aliments were caused by social, economic, political, or environmental reasons, people need to be able to find solutions for their traumas, she added.
Dr Al-Ali said that treatment was essential, but there should be more programs provided to individuals or groups to enhance mental health in Kuwait and bolster psychological defensive walls. She stressed that it was important to establish solid psychological foundations for families, saying that it was the first step to raising well-balanced children and individuals. Here at the Kuwait Center for Mental Health, experts provide diagnosis and various treatment protocols to help people overcome their hardships, Dr Al-Ali affirmed, pointing out that the center also works with other entities to provide social services and leisure activities for clients and patients.
Dr. Abdullah GuloomShe indicated that the center had launched the Al-Manara (lighthouse) center for children and teenagers mental health, touting this facility as the first of its kind in the GCC region. On the subject of mental disorders, Dr Abdullah Guloom—a psychological consultant—said that such disorders came in many shapes and forms. He pointed out that the disorders were caused by emotional and behavioral traumas during individuals’ daily, professional, and social interactions. Some disorders might include genetic causes, he revealed; however, the main culprits were daily life pressures and shocks that drive people towards mental instability.
People must pursue all venues to reach a balanced psyche, and this could be achieved via a system that starts with a person waking up for his or her day until it is time to rest and sleep, Dr Guloom affirmed. The most common disorder is depression, said the expert, noting that various and numerous studies showed that only around 40 percent sought treatment for this particular aliment. He noted that depression could happen to anyone regardless of status or circumstances, stressing that it was important to seek help once being hit by this crippling feeling that might lead to disaster or, in some cases, suicide.
Dr Guloom also mentioned that anxiety is also a troubling mental disorder that drives individuals to obsessively think of matters that are trivial and do not deserve all the worry and depletion of physical and psychological health. In contrast, a panic attack is a serious case of physical and psychological symptoms that could occur without notice, causing severe fear, the pulsating of the heart, heavy breathing, and other alarming behaviors.
Post-panic attacks, those who suffer from this particular disorder would tend to feel that their lives were in danger, and this goes especially for those who witnessed fantastical circumstances caused by war and natural disasters, said Dr Guloom, who called for improving health services in Kuwait to better address mental disorders and ways of treatment. He also called on all sectors of society to support mental health services and cadres to build a society of functioning and highly productive individuals. - KUNA
