As mental health professionals, we often face the situation in which the causes of mental disorders are reduced to the issue of weak faith, and this is something shared by many in our Muslim societies. Women put possible causes In the following order of importance:

An imbalance in brain chemistry.

life pressures.

heredity.

Weakness of faith.

envy and touch.

While the answer of the majority of men was in the following order:

life pressures.

An imbalance in brain chemistry.

Weakness of faith.

heredity.

envy and touch.

Here we see that the two sexes differed in the order of the reasons in terms of their importance and the most probable ones, but they share the issue of weak faith as one of the possible causes, which increases the burden of the stigma of mental illness on the person affected by facing more feelings of guilt and negligence due to the judgment of others on him and the lack of understanding of his suffering.

The theory of weak faith is inconsistent with the concept of affliction, as mentioned by the Creator (and we will surely test you with something of fear), because illness, whether psychological or physical, may be a trial, and that everything that afflicts a believer such as anxiety, grief, and sadness will be rewarded for him, and that the affliction is commensurate with faith, so the more faith increases, the more affliction will be for me On the contrary.

The faith aspect is one of the important aspects in psychotherapy, and no psychologist can overlook the importance of this aspect or marginalize it in treatment, but delving into it begins when there is a desire, willingness, and acceptance from the patient to delve into it, of course, after Ben. A good therapeutic relationship facilitates this. Faith is linked to reassurance, and perhaps what some refer to about the weakness of faith is derived from this connection (Indeed, in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest) and also the remembrance has multiple aspects and it may be appropriate to urge the remembrance with relaxation exercises, as there are those who practice the breathing of praises and find reassurance.

Relying on the fact that mental illness is only a weakness of faith, it may have a negative impact because the patient is late in seeking treatment, so seeking treatment is a necessity and a duty because God did not make a disease without making a cure for it. E and take the reasons.

Pressure on the mentally ill to perform religious duties without understanding the nature of his illness may have consequences for his health. At a time when the patient is most in need of support, constant reprimands or intimidation of punishment may result. His aversion and deterioration of the situation, and God Almighty is kind and merciful to His servants, and He made a concession for patients during illness.

In conclusion, all that a person suffering from a psychological disorder needs is understanding, acceptance, support, and supplication, and if we cannot, then at least we must stop issuing judgments.

Most of the Arab literature linked the issue of retirement to the category of the elderly or old age, and treats the retirement crisis as being linked to the problems of old age. In fact, retirement often takes place before old age, and most of the time it takes place at the age of sixty, which is not the age of old age according to the medical classification of old age.

Likewise, Arabic literature deals with the issue of retirement and old age as a stage of decline and end of capabilities and giving, and that it is the final round in life, although it may extend to twenty years with knowledge, and this concept is old and contradicts the fact that many people have They retire early for various reasons.

Transitions in life are usually accompanied by a range of emotions and retirement is a big change. Over the years, it has become clear that retirees do not adjust all at once, but rather that retirement occurs through psychological or emotional stages.

Here are the five most common emotional/psychological stages that an individual may encounter upon retirement:

First: Retirement planning stage:

You begin to evaluate the best date for retirement, and review your options in terms of where you want to live after retirement, and the amount of money you need to save. It is important at this stage to take time to prepare yourself emotionally as well. Retirement is a big change, and you don’t want to make it until you are sure you are ready for it. Set some goals and expectations for your retirement so you know you’re on the right track. By taking your feelings into consideration and seeking to understand them, you will be able to move more easily to the next stage.

Second: The stage of enthusiasm:

The closer your retirement date is, the more excited you will feel. When was the last time you didn’t have to go to work? When can you do something just because you want to do it without worrying about other responsibilities? With retirement approaching, it is also normal to feel some feelings of uncertainty at this point. You may wonder who you are outside of the actions and responsibilities that previously defined you. After retirement, you can be whoever you want to be. The possibilities are endless and can be exciting or stressful for people who are awaiting the start of retirement. You’ve been planning the logistics and details of retirement for years and now is the time to enjoy and reap the rewards of your past efforts.

Third: The honeymoon stage:

The “honeymoon phase” is common to many transitions in life, not just retirement. Early in your retirement, you will likely miss out on all the opportunities available to you. You can learn a new hobby, visit your family, or travel to places you’ve never been. At this point, you can take a break and enjoy your retirement years. Unfortunately, the honeymoon phase doesn’t last forever. After a year or so, you may want to define deeper desires, so don’t be surprised when the next phase of retirement creeps up on you.

Fourth: The stage of disappointment:

At this point in retirement, you may start to think that retirement is not as fun as you had expected. There are plenty of hobbies to learn and places to visit before boredom sets in again. This general feeling of frustration can sometimes be accompanied by more serious feelings, such as feelings of depression or loss of meaning.

At this point, it is important to ask for help if you need it. Talk to your family and friends about your feelings, and ask them to help you find ways to create a sense of purpose again. This may be a good time to invest in something that gives you a sense of meaning, importance, or social connection such as volunteering for a local organization, considering continuing education opportunities, or even planting a garden.

Fifth: The stage of reorientation and stability:

This is the last stage of retirement emotions, and it ties all the previous stages together. You can go back to your original retirement plan and assess your goals and hopes for retirement. With the honeymoon phase out of the way and a reality check, you can begin to really embrace this part of your life, balancing your pleasurable experiences with your deeper meaningful ones.

What are you still hoping to achieve? How will you get there? As you reorient yourself in this transition and plan on more solid foundations, you can see the big picture better than you could before. In your golden years, you will feel more settled and accepting of this new phase of life.

As you prepare for retirement, knowing what’s coming can be rewarding, but it can also be a little intimidating. Sure, you might be excited about the honeymoon phase, but what about the phases that come after?

Report prepared

Dr. Haifa Mohammed Saleh Al-Qahtani
Consultant psychiatrist and behavioral therapist
Co-chair of the Division of Behavioral Therapy at the World Psychiatric Association
Medical Renewal and Stimulation Complex Foundation
Dammam, Saudi Arabia

We also extend our thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this investigation
Providers of mental health care

summary
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken significant steps towards developing the mental health system, most notably:

Approval of teaching psychology in universities.

Sending scholarship students to specialize in psychiatry.

Bring in experts from abroad and benefit from them internally.

Launching the fellowship program in psychiatry.

The efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continued to approve and develop a system for mental health care, and put research related to mental health among the priorities of funding health research, which was newly created. .

This report seeks to identify the level of development of mental health services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the past two decades, in addition to future aspirations to keep pace with Vision 2030. It consists of two parts, the first reviews the opinions of some specialists in medicine and psychology, and the second explores the opinions of beneficiaries of mental health care services in the two sectors. public and private.

Introduction – What is mental health?

Before going through the details of this report, it is important to put a comprehensive and simplified definition of mental health.

Perhaps the simplest and most comprehensive definition is this one:

“A state of physical, emotional, intellectual, and social well-being that enables individuals to fulfill their own potential, adapt to normal types of stress, and work with dedication and effectiveness to contribute to their society.”

The state of mental health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

After we have developed a simplified definition of the concept of mental health, let us present a quick summary of the situation of mental health in the Kingdom, with the help of some official statistics. As the Saudi National Survey of Mental Health, which was released in 2019, showed: After conducting interviews with 4004 members of the Saudi society, females and males, between fifteen and sixty-five years of age.

that:

34% of Saudis meet the criteria for diagnosing at least one of the sixteen common mental disorders surveyed.

83% of Saudis diagnosed with severe mental health disorders do not seek any kind of treatment.

8.5% of Saudis diagnosed with severe mental health disorders seek treatment from clerics and non-medical therapists.

2/5 of Saudi youth meet the criteria for diagnosing at least one of the sixteen disorders.

The national survey identified the most common mental health disorders in the Kingdom and they were as follows:

Separation anxiety disorder.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Major depressive disorder.

– social phobia.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Note that the survey was unable to measure only a limited number of

Mental disorders and did not include children under the age of 15 or the elderly

The mental health care system

To date, the Ministry of Health is the main provider of mental health services in the Kingdom, as the Ministry has established 19 psychiatric hospitals containing:

2520 beds for the treatment of various mental disorders.

1177 beds for addiction treatment.

In addition to 1,037 counseling clinics in primary care centers, 21 centers and clinics for the treatment of developmental disorders, in addition to 120 centers and clinics for psychiatry in the private sector.

As for the cadres, the number of psychiatrists in the two sectors is 1,043 psychiatrists, in addition to more than 5,000 psychologists and more than 10,000 social workers, most of whom hold a bachelor’s degree.

The development of the mental health sector in the Kingdom
The beginning of efforts to develop the psychiatric sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia dates back to the year 1952 AD, when the first psychiatric hospital was opened in the city of Taif. Obtaining a specialization in psychology in the Kingdom until the year 1970 AD, and the last two decades witnessed tangible developments in the course of the mental health system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Perhaps one of the most important stations of this development is the approval of the Saudi Fellowship in Psychiatry in 1997 by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, and the issuance of the first version of the Saudi Atlas of Mental Health in 2007, which is an important document that describes the historical development of the situation of mental and social health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and identifies Deficiencies in the mental health system, and proposals for the development of psychological services, research, construction, and information systems. The National Mental Health Survey was conducted in 2010.

This was followed by a set of developmental steps, such as the establishment of the first fellowship program for child psychiatry in 2011 AD, and then the issuance of the mental health care system law in 2014 AD, in addition to the establishment of the National Center for Mental Health, which is a national center that works to bridge the gap in the field of scientific research directed at mental health.

The Saudi Society for Occupational Psychology was also established in 2019, which seeks to be a scientific reference for those belonging to the specialty and to advance the profession in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a science and practice through evidence-based interventions for everyone who needs it with the best quality standards in health practice. And the last of these steps is a plan to equip a mental health ward in 45 government hospitals. All of these steps were aimed at establishing a solid and scientific base to advance the development of the Saudi mental health system.

Mental health developments in the Kingdom coincided with a relative increase in societal awareness of mental health concepts. As is the case with the cycle of awareness that went through mental health in various countries of the world, the mental health system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia went through the same difficult beginnings and the great challenges that it faces.