One consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic that swept the world between 2020 and 2023 was how it fostered a heightened awareness of mental health issues. Covid-related bereavements, lockdowns and job losses were among the hardships faced by many people; their effect on individuals’ mental well-being was reflected in World Health Organisation data that found the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25 per cent in the first year of the pandemic alone.
However, even before the pandemic, there was a growing understanding that efforts to support people’s mental well-being were most effective when they extended beyond the health sector. In 2018, research published by the World Economic Forum found that mental health strategies must “take into account areas of public life beyond health care”, adding that “housing, transportation, criminal justice, education, public safety and other sectors have a crucial role to play”.
Such a holistic approach was seen on Monday when it was announced that Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, had launched a Dh105 million ($28 million) Mental Wealth Framework that will incorporate mental health awareness and action into the emirate’s overall strategy for growth and success.
The Mental Wealth Framework will play an important role in Dubai’s Social Agenda 33, a project launched earlier this year to enhance the emirate’s reputation as a first-class place in which to work and live. According to state news agency Wam, the framework aims to develop “a comprehensive model of care” by integrating previous mental health initiatives, emphasise mental well-being in schools and create better access to mental health care for those in need.
As a society that – like many others – is experiencing rapid urbanisation, Dubai and the wider UAE is working to avoid the mistakes seen in too many other major urban centres where the pace and intensity of modern life can cause and exacerbate mental health problems. According to Andrea Mechelli, Professor of Early Intervention in Mental Health at King’s College London, the risk of developing depression, which he says is the most prevalent mental disorder in the world, is 20 per cent higher in urban dwellers than those who live outside the city.
The UAE’s cities have a head start in this regard, rooted in a strong community-focused culture. They are also are relatively young places that have yet to reach the size of some other metropolises around the world, whose populations can exceed 20 million people. Another advantage the UAE possesses is its years of work to remove any reticence about discussing mental health as well as its support for proactive schemes to promote mental well-being.
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Aspen Heights British School Abu Dhabi has won an award for its mental health programme. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Pupils plant seedlings in the sensory garden. -
Aspen Heights pupils practise their writing skills in the sensory garden. -
A school kitten that the children help look after. -
The school counsellor's office. -
Anxious moments as pupils play a game of Jenga in the Aspen Heights wellbeing hub. -
A pupil reads an advice poster in the wellbeing hub. -
Pupils from Oasis class get creative. -
Salama and Saeed, both 5, catch up on some reading in the Calm Corner. -
Pupils with the school's chickens. -
Zakariyah, 9, helps tend to plants in the hydroponic garden.
One example of this is in Abu Dhabi where patients are encouraged to talk to qualified professionals about their mental well-being. Indeed, the UAE has a track record of taking bold steps regarding mental health, even during the trying years of the Covid-19 pandemic, with initiatives such as the Hayat Employee Assistance Programme, which offered all federal government workers access to counselling and other forms of social and psychological support.
This paper has long argued for improved access to effective and affordable mental health care for all. As part of changing the public conversation on mental health, for the past six years The National has worked with the Carter Centre, a US-based not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation, to run a mental health journalism fellowship programme in the UAE. It is our contribution to the important work taking place in the Emirates to reframe policy on mental health.
It is work that will be necessary for years to come. More and more people are moving into towns and cities; the WHO says 55 per cent of the world’s population already lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68 per cent by 2050. This makes a progressive and holistic approach to mental well-being, such as that exemplified by Dubai’s latest initiative, more important than ever.
