Dubai: Every Monday morning the Medical Committee at Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital is faced with a tough decision. Is the person referred to them by the court suffering from mental illness or is he feigning insanity to dodge criminal responsibility for his action?
If the committee gets it wrong, the consequences could be disastrous. The link between violent crime and mental illness came to the fore recently when a Dubai court ordered a psychiatric evaluation of 30-year-old Emirati Rashid Rabee Al Rashidi charged with the premeditated rape and murder of a four-year-old child Rashidi was executed by firing squad in February after medical reports indicated he was mentally stable.
Since it opened its doors on April 6, 1983, Al Amal has treated thousands of patients for mental illness. Twenty-eight years on, it remains Dubai's only government hospital dedicated to psychiatric and addiction health. The vagaries of time, however, seems to have taken a toll on the hospital building that's tucked away in a quiet street off Al Wasl Road in the heart of Jumeirah.
The plaster has worn off in places and the whole set-up looks dreary. But hope is not lost as Al Amal, which means hope in Arabic, is set to relocate to a Dh600 million facility in Al Aweer.
Emirati Tariq Tannaf, 45, head of social work at the hospital, said construction of the new building will begin soon.
Currently, the hospital is filled to capacity with 80 patients, including some chronic patients who have been undergoing treatment for 10 years. Tannaf said the new building will have 200 beds, enabling them to accommodate more patients.
ON THE RISE
Mental illnesses are on the rise in the country. Yet a mental health conference in Dubai revealed that up to 55 per cent of mental health patients deny they are ill, primarily because of the stigma attached to the condition. Tannaf said people need not be ashamed of psychiatric illnesses. "I encourage them to come forward and seek psychiatric or addictive help," he urged.
Al Amal consists of three main sections: two psychiatric wards - one each for men and women - and an addiction ward. There is also an outpatient clinic where patients are reviewed, diagnosed and treated, a nursing department, laboratory, EEG, ECT (electro-shock) department, cafeteria, gymnasiums and even a theatre where movies are screened.
Sameera Masoud, head of nurses, said the hospital is well-equipped to provide basic and essential care to patients. "We take patients out for recreation activities," she said.
Senior occupational therapist Dr. Abdullah Barake said patients are also encouraged through occupational therapy. "We try to keep them busy with music, art, puzzles, chess and group discussions as it helps improve their mental and physical health."
Tannaf said patients who don't respond to medication or counselling are recommended electro-shock treatment in consultation with their family members. "Though considered unconventional, the treatment has shown positive results, especially with those suffering from depression or schizophrenia," he said.
Prisoners transferred to the hospital undergo a series of sessions with a doctor, social worker and psychiatrist. Based on their findings, the medical committee comprising at least three doctors determines whether they are sane or not.
A day in the life of Al Amal Patients
- 6am Patients wake up and perform their morning ablutions. Those seriously ill are allowed to sleep in for longer hours
- 8 am Breakfast in dinning hall
- 9am Patients form a queue and are given medicines in small containers.
- 10am - 12 Doctor's rounds.
- 12:30pm Lunch in dining hall
- 1.30 Rest time
- 2:30pm Afternoon medicine
- 4pm Afternoon tea and snacks. Patients have tea outside in the quad, but still within hospital walls. They sit in the open air area, listen to music, dance if they want, smoke, read magazines, or even write.
- 5:30-6pm Dinner
- 7-8pm Leisure time. When the weather is good, patients are taken outside in the garden, within securely locked gates. They can stroll around, while refreshments are made available to them.
- 9pm Night medicine
- 10pm Bedtime
