Abu Dhabi based Maudsley Health, which is directly affiliated with the prestigious Maudsley Hospital in the UK, held their annual mental health conference under the patronage of H.E. Dr Yousif Al Serkal and the Ministry of Health and Prevention at the Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, Dubai.
The annual conference, held in acknowledgement of World Mental Health Day on October 10th, provided updates on best practices in child, adolescent and adult mental health service, with an experienced group of speakers addressing the audience of Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Nurses and professionals working in the field of mental health.
The speakers were a combination of internationally recognized clinicians from the Maudsley Hospital in London, senior staff from the Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital and Maudsley Health, Abu Dhabi.
“The Ministry of Health and Prevention are proud to support mental health educational events such as the Maudsley Health Conference. As part of the UAE’s national strategy for preventive measures and early detection of mental illnesses, we are keen to increase community awareness of mental disorders, educate healthcare practitioners, and empower patients through specialized programs’’ said Dr Yousif Al Serkal, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
Jo Fletcher, Managing Director of Maudsley Health stated, “We’re so delighted to continue to bring some of the greatest minds in psychiatry and mental health addressing the important topics that were discussed today. Self-harm, addiction, autism and old age psychiatry are all very relevant within the mental health patient population in the Middle East. Equally important are the approaches taken to undergo change within health services. The high caliber of international speakers provided information about cutting edge advances in assessments and treatments in child, adolescent, adult and old age mental health. We hope this information will be stimulating and support those delivering care to patients with mental health difficulties.
Globally, it is estimated that one in four individuals suffers from some kind of mental disorders in their lifetime affecting approximately 450 million worldwide. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention previously launched a mental health program that aims to initiate common strategies with the legislations department to set up a new draft legislation for mental health in the UAE.
In 2018, Maudsley Health was awarded a three years contract by the Ministry of Health and Prevention to provide a team of experienced staff at the Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital. This contract is to support the development of the Hospital into a Centre of Excellence for Mental Health, provide high quality evidence based clinical care, undertake high quality research and to grow into a specialized mental health teaching hospital serving Dubai, the Northern Emirates as well as the wider GCC.