13% of Saudis seek psychological treatment
The Family Affairs Council stated that there are about 13% of Saudis who seek psychological treatment.
Coinciding with the World Mental Health Day, which is held every Oct. 10, the council said that there are 5 common psychological conditions that individuals may suffer from, such as depression and social anxiety disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder.
Additionally, there are cases of anxiety that affect individuals due to the fear of separating from their partners. The council also said that there are symptoms that require an individual to visit psychiatric clinics to receive treatment, including loss of ability to control emotions and sleep disorder.
In some cases physical pain without a clear explanation appear, in addition to excessive negative feelings, anxiety and being sad continuously, the council said.
It added that some people also like to be alone and escape and not attend meetings, while getting addicted to sedative drugs, as well as seeing the start of disorders in their general performance at work.
On the other side, in the same context, the National Center for Mental Health Promotion (NCMH) revealed the most prominent statistics on mental health. It indicated that 75% of chronic mental illnesses begin at the age of 24 years.
While it added that 50% of mental disorders begin to appear before the age of 14 years, and 1 out of 5 adults suffers from a mental health disorder.
The NCMH confirmed that 25% of people have faced a difficult choice between two decisions, choosing between daily necessities or paying for mental health care. It stressed that 52% of those in need of psychological care tried to treat it themselves instead of seeking psychological care.
More than 10 million people over the age of 18 suffer from more than one addiction or mental health disorder, NCMH noted.
