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Public Lecture to Take Place on 7 January as Part of On-going Series of Mental Health Awareness Talks Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), managed by Cleveland Clinic, is this week publicly addressing the health sector's role in treating the most severe cases of mental illness as part of its monthly mental health awareness lectures for the local community in Abu Dhabi. Focusing on the legal accountability, as well as treatment options, involved in many cases of mental illness, SKMC speakers invite the public to attend a lecture today, 7 January, in the Behaviour Science Pavilion (BSP) auditorium at SKMC. The lecture will define mental illness and the fact that psychotic disorders are associated with a degree of lack of reality testing and various difficulties in control of emotions and behaviour which can lead to law breaking. . “Mentally ill offenders – are often caught between medicine and the law,” said Dr. Alaa Haweel, Consultant Physician, SKMC, the psychiatrist will have to decide on the ability of the mentally ill offender to stand trial and is often requested to help the court to decide on his criminal responsibility. “The medical community must continue to work alongside law enforcement officials to ensure that members of our community who are not mentally well are identified and treated as early as possible so that they do not become a threat to themselves or others in the community,” Dr. Alaa added. The Mental Health Act in 1985 by the late Sheikh Zayed ensures the treatment of mental disorders which may include compulsory detention, and with the help of the police inside specialized facilities. Criminal responsibility has changed over time for mentally ill people. There is a relationship between mental illness and crimes such as suicidal and self harm behavior in patients with depression, delusion of infidelity and violence against women, reckless and dangerous speeding and manic disorders. But, contrary to the current belief, mentally ill are not more inclined to commit crimes and inflict harm against others than are normal people. They represent a few cases of violence and killing, and if we take into consideration that some of them lose criminal responsibility, there should be specialized units and sections to treat and rehabilitate them to ensure non-recurrence of their crimes. This health talk is part of the Mental Health Awareness Program that started in March 2010, and includes a series of health talks in Arabic language every month on different topics related to mental health and social problems. The invitation is extended to the public and SKMC's patients. SKMC is part of the SEHA Health System and is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA), which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Mental Health Awareness Program is organized by the BSP of SKMC, a comprehensive psychiatric facility committed to providing mental health treatment services in the UAE. The program consists of monthly public health talks about different topics related to mental health in the Arabic language. The talks are given by a panel of mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists as well as social workers from the BSP. Each session includes a question and answer session to answer the attendees' inquiries. The SKMC Mental Health Awareness program addressing issues relevant to the community is continuously updated and the lectures are as follows: - Mental Health Patients in the Home
- Adolescence - Safe Transition from Childhood to Adulthood
- Handling Crises
- The Internet, and its Social and Psychological Effects
- Characteristics of an Addict
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