ABU DHABI // The number of people who took their own lives in the UAE dropped almost 13 per cent between the year 2000 and 2012.
A recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) titled “Preventing Suicide: A global imperative”, shows that the suicide rate in the UAE dropped 12.9 per cent and doctors claim that a reason could be that more people are approaching them for help now.
In 2012, 274 people committed suicide across the country, 243 men and 31 women.
The figure represents a 9 per cent decrease for men and 32 per cent for women.
“Whereas a few years ago, only a few people would approach us, now many more are [now] seeking treatment,” said Dr Yousef Abou Allaban, managing director and consultant psychiatrist at American Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology in Abu Dhabi.
“Also, families are more open about mental health issues now and the awareness about these problems has grown,” he said.
Dr Michael Hamarneh, clinical psychologist at Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City also agreed that “many people are visiting psychologists to seek help, including those of Arab origin”.
“This is a sign of the increased awareness in the public.”
Doctors believe that although many know more about mental health issues now, the stigma associated with these still poses a global challenge.
Some patients are coming forward to ask for help, but they fear there are many who do not as they feel secretive about these problems.
“Many people believe that if they consult a psychiatrist, they will have to undergo treatment for the rest of their lives. This is a myth that needs to be broken. If a person comes to us at an early stage of depression he may, on average, need treatment only for a year,” said Dr Allaban.
Many health insurance companies do not cover psychiatric problems and this dissuades many patients who need treatment, he said.
“When the patients realise that they will have to pay for the treatment, they do not want to go ahead sometimes. Many of them cannot afford the treatment.” The cost of treatment ranges between Dh500-2000 per month, he said.
Doctors say they see many young patients suffering from depression as well.
“Many children who are depressed might tend to show their emotions through aggression and disruptive behaviour,” said Dr Muhammad Tahir, the head Of Psychiatry Health-Call DHCC Dubai who consults children, adolescents and adults.
“These kids are usually brought to the counsellor and provided treatment at an early age while others might slip under the radar,” he said.
“Some schools have only one counsellor but they have over 2000 students and this is a problem. Also, parents and teachers need to be educated to identify symptoms of depression or suicidal tendencies in children,” said Dr Tahir.
“If a child talks about suicide, don’t take it as a joke. Also, a child who owns any kind of weapon, or is withdrawn or does substance abuse is at risk and parents and educators need to look out for these signs,” he said.
Creating awareness, making facilities available and employing Arabic speaking doctors are some steps suggest experts. “There are systems that people who are depressed can reach out too, but they are limited and one needs to do research to get to them. Doctors also need to look beyond physical reasons of a problem as the issue might be a psychological one,” suggested Dr Hamarneh.
According to the WHO report, globally, “suicides account for 50 percent of all violent deaths in men and 71 percent in women. With regard to age, suicide rates are highest in persons aged 70 years or over for both men and women in almost all regions of the world. In some countries, suicide rates are highest among the young, and globally suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15 to 29-year-olds.”
arizvi2@thenational.ae
