patient with schizophrenia who received life-changing care at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City

Abu Dhabi, 01 Feb. 2022:  Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), a healthcare facility operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), successfully managed to help a woman get her life back on track after being diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia.

The 43-year-old woman started experiencing severe disturbances to her emotional state. She was encouraged to seek specialist mental health support from SKMC.

SKMC’s Behavioral Sciences Pavilion (BSP) is the most comprehensive mental health facility in the UAE and the nation’s leading resource for clinical work, education, and research, with a special emphasis on multi-disciplinary practices.

“The patient started receiving support from the Behavioral Sciences Pavilion (BSP) at SKMC in 2010 and was diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia – a severe mental health disorder that causes people to have abnormal experiences of reality,” stated Dr. Ala Alnaqbi, Specialist Psychiatrist at BSP.

Schizophrenia is a complex and chronic mental illness that affects how an individual thinks, behaves, and feels. According to the World Health Organization, schizophrenia affects 20 million people worldwide but is not as common as many other mental disorders. Some common symptoms experienced by individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia are hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and disturbances to an individual’s emotional state. 

With the support of SKMC’s rehabilitation team and her family, the patient went back to school to complete her education. She successfully attained her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration in September 2020 and celebrated her accomplishment with the medical team that was by her side in every step of her journey.

“Psychiatric Rehabilitation Unit aims to help those with complex and enduring mental illness by enabling the development of emotional, social and vocational skills, improving the management of illness, and enhancing personal autonomy and independence. We employ multidimensional interventions in a patient-centered and recovery-focused environment,” said Dr. Alnaqbi.

While people with schizophrenia require lifelong treatment, early treatment may help get symptoms under control before serious complications develop and will potentially improve the patient’s long-term outlook. According to Dr. Alnaqbi, one of the biggest issues when it comes to mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, is often the lack of awareness.

“Those individuals affected find it difficult to identify the signs and get help and so it often falls to family and friends to step in. Offering support and help can go a long way. At SEHA, we have a highly experienced team of psychiatric physicians, nurses and social workers who focus on providing an accurate diagnosis and developing the best treatment plan,” explains Dr. Alnaqbi.

To support communities across Abu Dhabi with their mental health, SEHA has a range of comprehensive mental health services embedded within its Abu Dhabi network, including Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Al Ain Hospital and across SEHA’s Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS). This is in addition to a telehealth psychiatry clinic for patients in Al Dhafra.

SEHA provides many outpatient and inpatient services with a focus on child and adolescent psychotherapy, adult psychiatry, addiction counselling, marital counselling, burn-out counselling and bereavement counselling. This is in addition to support groups, cognitive assessments and specialist clinics, including divorce clinic, life crisis clinic, work-related stress clinic, women’s mental health clinic, eating disorders clinic and COVID-19 mental health clinic.

“Over the past year, we have seen a positive step change when it comes to mental health awareness in the UAE.  Positive mental health is integral to cultivating a thriving community which is why, at SEHA, we believe it is critical to integrate specialist mental health services across our network. Through offering the latest technologies as well as multi-disciplinary expertise, we strive to ensure our patients receive all the care, compassion and support they need.” Stated Dr. Aisha Al Dhufairi, Acting Chair of the SKMC’s Behavioral Sciences Pavilion.

The more we talk about mental health, the more we can support. If you are concerned about your own or a loved one’s mental health, you can book an appointment by contacting SEHA on 800 50.