Dubai conference highlights mental health in primary care

Dubai conference highlights mental health in primary care

Dubai, UAE: Mental Health issues are the highlight of discussion on the second day of the ninth edition of the International Family Medicine Conference and Exhibition – IFM. The three-day event which is supported by the Dubai Health Authority touched on sensitive topics which places the importance of integrating mental health in primary care.

Family medicine plays an important role in providing direct and continuous care of a person and their family. Unlike other specialties that are limited to a particular organ or disease, family physicians are the only specialists qualified to treat most ailments and addresses the most pressing and most common medical needs of patients without being limited by age or gender. They also practice a range of medical subjects and specialties, rather than the depth of a specific medical field.

According to the World Health Organization, one in seven 10-19-year-olds around the world experience a mental disorder, accounting for 13% of the global burden of disease in this age group.[1] Depression, anxiety, and behavioral disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. The consequences of failing to acknowledge and address mental health conditions at an early age inadvertently extend to adulthood, further damaging both physical