December 2016 Health & Life Magazine

What is the motivation
behind
“Weyak” in Qatar?
There are many
motivations behind
this initiative. The
main one is introducing
the importance
of mental health for everyone, and preventing
the spread of mental illnesses. We aim
to change the stigma attached to mental disorders
and the way the community views mental
health. This happens through awareness
programs and activities for the community
on social, educational, spiritual, and religious
aspects. We cooperate with community organizations
and businesses and provide support
for those who receive mental health services.
What are the most important services and
programs on offer to the Qatari community?
Weyak provides many community services
like mental health and behavioral programs,
as well as family programs. These serve all
members of the community and qualify competent
professionals to provide psychological
guidance. We organize events and awareness
campaigns focused around mental health education
and our goal is to provide psychological
counseling services of the highest quality. We
also focus on raising awareness on social issues
and respecting the rights of those receiving
treatment or counseling.
What is the association’s philosophy on
mental health?
Our philosophy extends from our name and
logo “Weyak” which means “with you” in Arabic.
We are mental health friends association
and we are friends to those who receive treatments
and counseling, and their families. It is
our duty to hold their hands and defend their
rights. We are also friends of qualified professionals.
These professionals come in two categories:
those who can provide their expertise
in a group setting through training and lectures;
and those who get trained and qualified
to benefit from expertise. Our logo “Weyak”
tells more about how we are with everyone, to
serve our country, adapt to change and get to a
level of societal acceptance.
From your point of view, how important
are these mental health services to the community?
We consider mental health to be the base of
everything in life. There is no work that can be
innovative, creative, and productive without
motivation and excitement towards it. Therefore,
we see balanced mental health as the
basis of adaptation in the community and enhancing
the ability to live in a positive, forgiving,
and loving environment. Here we see the
importance of our services to raise awareness
in the community about mental health and to
increase productivity in the country together.
Because it is not possible for an individual to
be giving, productive and innovative when he
is down, depressed, and negative.
What are the most common and important
mental health issues faced by the Qatari
community and how do you tackle them?
The Qatari society, just like every other society
whether Arab or the Gulf regions, faces issues
with modernity and the fast pace of life, especially
in technological aspects like the internet
and TV, which lead to a mixture of foreign and
hybrid cultures coming in, which in turn lead
to our children behaving differently. This has
become problematic and very visible. Statistics
show that there is a marked increase in
mental disorders in our Qatari community, the
mental health hospital in Qatar shows the following:
15
DECEMBER 2016
GENERAL ANXIETY DISORDER
CLINICAL LEVEL %
10.6
SPREAD AMONG CITIZENS %
CLINICAL LEVEL %
8.4
DEPRESSION
SPREAD AMONG CITIZENS %
OTHER MENTAL DISORDERS
CLINICAL LEVEL %
8.5
20.4
19.1
SPREAD AMONG CITIZENS %
13.36
30
34.5
SEVERE AVERAGE MILD
40.1
49.3
What are some of the challenges you face at
Weyak, and how do you overcome them?
We are a civilian community organization
reliant on support from charities as well as
other organizations, and our only challenge
is finding funding for programs and activities.
Although there is support from charities and
individuals, it is not sufficient for the level
of ambition and services required. We are a
specialized mental health association and we
don’t get the reaction we need from some because
the concept of mental health is unclear
for certain organizations and business so they
prefer to support or fund charities specialized
in poverty or other needs.
57
61.6