Mental Health Dynamics Need Caring

CAPTAIN’S CORNER BY CAPTAIN MAHMOOD

Bahrain has one of the best and most compassionate healthcare systems.

Despite putting expats on the paid patients list and requiring elderly guests to Bahrain to have health insurance, the Kingdom never denies care to those in a crisis.

Unlike in other countries, it is always about managing the patient’s problem first and foremost and worrying about his/her ability to pay later.

It is my sincere wish therefore that this attitude be extended to cover intervention and treatment for mental health as well.

This is a condition that affects so many of us but societal norms and fear of backlash keeps us silent when we are ourselves suffering or if we know of a sufferer.

Moreover, our perception of people with mental health challenges has been shaped by the melodramatic portrayal of such issues in media – films, television and books, all draw scary pictures of mental health challenges and imply that these conditions are not only incurable but dangerous to society as well.

The fact is people with mental health conditions need support and psychological help rooted in scientific study.

In recent years, as the stigma of seeking help dissolved, more and more people in Bahrain have been reaching out for help and we have seen an uptick in the number of facilities offering well-managed psychiatric intervention.

However, this is still way out of reach for the average patient, especially the expat community.

I am told that even those who are insured are not willing to seek treatment or to even buy medication for their condition because it is not always covered by their insurance policy.

This has got to change. Just as Bahrain’s public hospitals will not question whether a suffering patient can afford an appendectomy, they should have a policy of treating mental health issues, no payment or nationality asked.

None of us want such a condition and it is wrong to monetize it under a virtually free healthcare system.