Abu Dhabi: Specialised clinic to provide mental health services in Al Dhafra Hospitals

Al Dhafra Hospitals, operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), have begun providing mental health services through specialised clinics at Al Dhafra Family Medicine Centre in Madinat Zayed and Ghayathi Hospital.

A group of doctors qualified to deal with various psychological consultations will lead the clinic. Dr Amna Khamis Al Mismari, specialist psychiatrist, noted that the provision of mental health services to the residents of Al Dhafra began three years ago through telepsychiatry services.

In coordination with the Al Maqtaa and Al Zafaranah Health Care Centres, a unique project was developed to facilitate access to mental health services for patients in Al Dhafra. Following the project's success, it was decided to open a specialised clinic in Al Dhafra Family Medicine Centre for consultations and treatment services available to all cases.

“We want to encourage more patients, of all ages, to seek mental health support and treatment. The therapeutic services provided to those who are seeking the treatment are confidential, and the patient’s information is kept under the utmost discretion due to doctor-patient confidentiality,” Dr Al Mismari said.

“The project achieved great success through the patients' acceptance of the psychiatrist's assessment. However, the increasing number of cases we’ve seen confirms the uptake and acceptance of mental health care. We provide mental health services for all cases of adults, adolescents, and children with behavioural and emotional disorders.”

The adult mental health services focus, as a specialisation, on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of a wide range of psychological and behavioural disorders that affect adults. Therapeutic services to children and adolescents focus on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of developmental disorders and autism, as well as emotional and behavioural problems.

The clinic accommodates the elderly and provides geriatric treatment services, focusing on patterns, causes and effects, medical factors, and social and psychological issues.

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