UAE Government Launches a Mental Wellbeing Campaign to Maintain Mental Health Amidst Covid19
Infectious disease outbreaks, like the current Coronavirus (COVID-19), can be scary and can affect our mental health. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Stress during such an outbreak can include worrying about your own health and the health of one’s loved ones, changes in sleep or eating patterns, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, worsening of chronic health problems, and increased use of harmful and addictive substances. Moreover, a change in working and living dynamics that has accompanied the social distancing element of the containment strategy that many governments have adopted will also have an impact on mental health. To ensure that UAE citizens and residents maintain good mental health in these trying times, the UAE government has launched a campaign comprising of virtual support groups and speaker sessions under the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing. The aim of the campaign is to promote good mental health, embrace positive thinking as a core value, build life skills, and enhance the quality of bonding and social relations within families and society at large. The campaign also encourages the adoption and focus on the quality of life in learning and work environments, and promotes the values of giving, cooperation, solidarity, and community service. The three initiatives under this campaign are (i) a series of targeted educational and mental health videos in the light of the Corona Virus epidemic, (ii) socio-psychological support service to different groups through Instagram live, and (iii) virtual support groups using Microsoft Teams for diverse societal groups. The target groups for this campaign include children, parents, students traveling back to the UAE, elderly citizens and their caregivers, working mothers, and housewives, people of determination and their families, people with chronic illnesses, those who have contracted Covid19 and their families, healthcare personnel (especially frontline workers), and all the people working remotely. The campaign focuses on how to enable UAE citizens and residents to adjust to the new situation without causing excessive anxiety, panic, and phobia, and equip them with the skills to remain positive and empathize with others. To ensure a holistic approach, the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing has partnered with experts in mental health and wellbeing from the public and private sectors in the country to deliver these sessions. Partners come from various organizations including the Ministry of Education, Community Development Authority, Al Jalila Hospital, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Police, UAE University, Latifa Hospital, Lighthouse Arabia, and Rashid Hospital.
