Kuwait Has A Depression Rate Of 20%

According to Kuwait Center for Mental Health, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Health, depression and anxiety are among the most common mental illnesses. Depression affects about 20 percent of the people annually in Kuwait. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are considered rare diseases in Kuwait.

Bipolar disorder affects less than 1 percent of the population, and schizophrenia affects less than 1 percent. This was highlighted during an event held by the center yesterday on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, under the slogan “Mental health is a fundamental right.” The Director of the center Dr. Kholoud Al-Ali said the expansion of mental health services in the Ministry of Health’s facilities came as a result of interest in individual mental health. Dr. Al-Ali said in a press release issued on the sidelines of the event that the center offers diagnostic and therapeutic services, and the psychological service unit offers psychological consultations to the ministry's general and specialized hospitals as well as primary health care facilities.

She expressed pride in the implementation of mental health law No. 14/2019, which guarantees the rights of the patients and the doctors. Dr. Al-Ali affirmed that the center provides distinguished diagnostic, therapeutic, and recreational services, in addition to daycare services, as well as psychological support to develop patients’ practical skills. Besides psychological services provided by the psychological service unit, such as consultations, the ministry opened mental health clinics in primary care centers due to the interest in mental health.

The head of the Kuwait Mental Health Center's emergency unit as well as the head of the Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital's psychiatry department, Dr. Najah Al-Enezi, said increased awareness about mental health issues has reduced the stigma associated with psychological problems.

 

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