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More kids being referred to hospitals for mental issues

DUBAI — The majority of children with mental health issues are referred to hospitals by schools, according to a senior official from the Dubai Health Authority.

Officials said on Thursday that mental health issues are more common in children than in adults. “A greater awareness of the issue has led to a rise in the number of cases and we now see a considerable number of children with different mental health issues in Rashid Hospital,” said Dr Alya Al Merri, Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of the Psychiatry Department at the hospital.

“Problems have always been there in children but now due to more awareness, more and more children are coming to hospitals for treatment,” she said.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is among the most common disorders in children, said Dr Khawla Ahmed, Senior Specialist Registrar at the Psychiatric Department. The other problems common in children include learning disabilities, speech impairment and autism.

“These issues mostly become apparent only when the child goes to school, hence we see many children referred to us by schools under the school health programmes,” she explained.

The department received 7,809 outpatient cases in 2009 of which 190 were children. In 2010, the number of outpatient visits were 7,970 including 182 children.

The UAE Global School Health Survey (GSHS) 2010 conducted among 2,581 students of 52 public and private schools found that 38 per cent of the students were depressed for two or more consecutive weeks during the past 12 months. As many as 17.1 per cent said they felt lonely often or always while 16.7 per cent admitted that some reason often or always prevented them from sleeping during the past 12 months.

Officials also said that though the stigma attached to mental health issues is lesser than before, there was still a need for more education. “People should know that it is okay to talk about mental health,” said Dr Khawla, speaking to Khaleej Times during the launch of an awareness campaign. “There is help present and access to service is easy. There is no shame in seeking help.”

The campaign, which is being organised by the Rashid Hospital Psychiatry Section on October 7 will mark World Mental Health day which takes place on October 10 every year.

In addition to raising awareness about mental health, this year’s global theme, titled “The Great Push: Investing in Mental Health”, focuses on the need to invest in mental health facilities.

“The aim of the campaign is to educate people about mental health issues and highlight the importance of early detection to prevent patients from facing further deterioration of the condition,” said Dr Younis Kazim, Medical Director of Rashid Hospital.

“There are two important aspects which need to taken into consideration — firstly, mental health facilities available in the emirate and secondly, the need to create awareness about mental health,” said Dr Al Merri.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com