The situation of mental health stigma in Oman shows decline, and thereby an improvement of the problem today, when compared to the earlier years, a top consultant psychiatrist has said. “Mental health stigma is a global problem and Oman is not an exception, however the situation has improved compared to previous years,” Dr Hamed Al Sinawi, senior consultant psychiatrist (adults and old age) told Black & White Oman. He was commenting on some queries posed by the Black & White as part of the ‘mental health awareness month’, which is observed in May in many countries, including Oman.
Common misunderstandings
“Stigma is often linked to cultural beliefs about the causes of mental illness as we still see people holding common misunderstandings about mental illness linking it to lack of religious beliefs, black magic and evil spirits. Such beliefs stop those in need of professional help from seeking it, which leads to prolonged suffering and loss of productivity,” Dr Hamed added.
Stigma hinders access
Reports note that in the context of mental healthcare, “stigma has been identified as a major issue for patients and families”. Stigma “hinders access to appropriate and professional medical and psychological treatment and can result in a person’s condition worsening or multiple readmissions”, the reports added.
Turning to healers
While the situation of mental health stigma is ameliorating, there is still an issue of patients and their families turning to healers for their mental health issues, primarily because they tend to believe that they are possessed. “Sadly this is still the case and we often come across people who delay approaching professional mental health workers because they prefer to visit a local healer who tends to misguide them,” Dr Hamed said. However, there is a ray of hope here because Dr Hamed noted that he has come across “some cases where the local healer advised the family to take their loved one to the hospital to see a psychiatrist”.
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May is observed as the ‘Mental Health Awareness Month’ in many countries. Is it also observed in Oman?
Mental health awareness month is observed in Oman as we see several events and social media posts related to mental health issues. Some companies and universities have invited mental health professionals to give talks focusing on employees’ and students’ mental health, which is an excellent step towards fighting mental health stigma.
The theme for this month is said to be “community”. How can being part of a community help people make their lives feel more meaningful and enjoyable? “Yet sometimes, although we’re all part of communities, we don’t always realise the benefits for our mental health,” reports say. Your comments.
Being part of a community is essential to our mental wellbeing, this is why we read reports about loneliness being the new epidemic in some western societies and there is strong scientific evidence connecting loneliness to depression, addiction and even dementia. Therefore, it is important to keep the community spirit and encourage people to connect to one another in real life and not only through social media.
Are mental health issues still stigmatised in the Sultanate of Oman? If so, what is it due to? Cultural reasons? Has this become better or worse?
Mental health stigma is a global problem and Oman is not an exception, however the situation has improved compared to previous years. Stigma is often linked to cultural beliefs about the causes of mental illness as we still see people holding common misunderstanding about mental illness linking it to lack of religious beliefs, black magic and evil spirits. Such beliefs stop those in need of professional help from seeking it which leads to prolonged suffering and loss of productivity.
Does this imply that some mental health conditions (depression and anxiety) are not properly treated, due to resistance to seek help? What should be done to overcome this?
Certainly, many cases of depression and anxiety are under- recognised and untreated. Even those who do seek professional help may choose to stop medication or therapy because they worry, they may get addicted to medication which is not true. Sometimes people stop going for therapy because they don’t see the immediate improvement they were hoping for or because they can’t afford the long sessions which are provided by a private clinic. To overcome these issues , several initiatives can be implemented such as training primary care doctors in detecting and treating common mental health conditions, employing trainer and qualified counsellors and therapists to provide therapy, improve access to specialised mental health services and fostering employee wellness programmes to enable workers to seek professional help that is funded by their employees.
Is it important to assess attitudes towards mental health in Oman?
Definitely, assessing public attitude will be the first step in developing culturally applicable awareness programmes that address the needs of the Omani communities.
Do mental health patients (and their families) still turn to healers for mental cases because they tend to believe that it may have something to do with being possessed?
Sadly, this is still the case and we often come across people who delay approaching professional mental health workers because they prefer to visit a local healer who tends to misguide them. However, I have come across some cases where the local healer advised the family to take their loved one to the hospital to see a psychiatrist.
Is there belief, among certain segments, that mental illness is contagious?
It’s not exactly contagious like an infectious disease but it can be understood in that we tend to be affected by the mental state of people around us. If you have a depressed partner that always expresses negative thoughts and feelings, you may be more likely to feel depressed yourself.
Is there a genuine reluctance among some patients to seek professional help, primarily due to the stigmatisation of mental illness?
This is still an issue although there is some progress in this. Recently, we have started seeing more people seeking mental health support.
Studies elsewhere in the Arab world point out that “mental health patients in Arab countries tend to express their psychological problems in terms of physical symptoms, thereby avoiding the stigma attached to mental illness”. Your comments.
This is a well-known phenomenon called somatization and we do see patients who come to us after several visits to the medical doctor with physical complaints like diffused pain, indigestion and general tiredness despite having normal test results. One needs to understand that this is not a deliberate choice that a patient makes and it is different from people who claim to have an illness for some kind of gain.
Do patients as well as their families hold negative attitudes toward formal mental health services? And, because of this, are women the most affected, “suffering various disorders like depression, anxiety disorders and eating disorders”?
Women are at higher risk of developing certain mental health problems. This can be due to hormonal changes that women go through, which is why we see conditions like depression being more common after childbirth and menopause. In some cultures, women are suppressed and not given equal opportunities to access education and work.
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