Mahmoud al-Raisi, chief of continuing care group at HMC and chairman of the National Taskforce for Mental Health and Wellbeing, said that the National Taskforce fully supported the initiative.
“The helpline was established in April 2020 by the Ministry of Public Health and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) with backing from Primary Health Care Corporation in response to a growing awareness of the emerging psychosocial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the population.
In a statement, HMC said Qatar’s National Mental Health Helpline Service has played a major role in providing psychological support for a growing number of people experiencing stress and anxiety during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The national helpline has logged more than 40,000 calls in the 18 months since the service has been in operation.
The helpline provides an immediate and confidential access and offers support to people suffering from stress, anxiety or mental disorder. It has become a key access point for people seeking help and advice. A team of Mental Health professionals provide an initial assessment and can offer initial intervention or treatment with a more rapid access to more acute care if needed.
The Helpline can provide access to the Virtual Women’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and offers convenient and safe medication refill service. Access to the confidential helpline is reached by calling 16000; the mental health helpline is available from 7am to 3pm from Saturday to Thursday.
The Mental Health Service recently won an international Health Workers Recognition Award from the World Health Organisation’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office for its work in establishing the Mental Health Helpline. The award recognised the tireless efforts of the service in addressing the mental health and wellbeing of Qatar’s population during the Covid-19 pandemic through the establishment of the Mental Health Helpline.
Dr Majid al-Abdulla, chairman of psychiatry at HMC explained: “Fear of stigma has often been a barrier to people seeking professional help for mental health problems. The guarantee of anonymity of calls to the helpline has been instrumental in the increase in calls. When the Helpline opened fewer than 10% of calls were from men, this has grown to over 30% earlier this year, as more and more men feel able to seek help. Calls are now evenly split between men and women, indicating more acceptance of this service among both genders.”
Iain Tulley, national lead for mental health and CEO of the Mental Health Services at HMC highlighted: “A public feedback survey conducted last year showed 90% of callers expressed satisfaction in the service provided, with callers saying that they would recommend the service to a friend or relative. Over 85% commented that it was easy to access the helpline. The scope of the service has been broadened to provide greater access to a range of support and treatment. We have experienced staff who are trained in managing different types of calls, including families with children, adults, older adults and women seeking maternal mental health support.”