‘Awareness is key’: Mental health stigma still rampant, says Dubai psychiatrist

‘Awareness is key’: Mental health stigma still rampant, says Dubai psychiatrist

Mental health stigma, when a society shames the people who live in a state of mental illness or seek help for emotional distress, is still a rampant issue in many cultures, Dubai-based psychiatrist told Al Arabiya English.

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“Stigma on mental health issues is very rampant across all generations, not only in adults from the baby boomer generation,” said Dr. Shaju George, Psychiatrist at Dubai’s Medeor Hospital, noting that while it still is an issue, it has been improved in recent years.

“Ignorance is the main reason for stigma. Mental healthissues are there since time immemorial,” he said.

George believes that research into mental health and neuroscience only began to increase in the last couple of decades, unlike other branches of medicine.

“Ignorance about mental health was fertile soil to develop all superstitious explanations backed by religion. Since religion had a major influence on people, unscientific superstitions on mental health issues dominated the world. The lack of research and treatment options added fuel to the fire that developed and spread this stigma across the world,” he said.

‘Awareness is key’

Creating scientific awareness is key, said George, in order to diminish this stigma.

Ensuring