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It doesn’t take an overly keen observer to realize that the conversation around mental health in the UAE – particularly in the business sector – has taken a positive turn. If you think this shift is a natural consequence of a post-pandemic world, think again.
In June 2019, long before the COVID-19 crisis took the mental health discussion to a whole new level, the UAE government launched the National Wellbeing Strategy 2031 to roll out initiatives to improve the physical and mental health of the country’s residents. But as well as raising awareness about mental health, the UAE has another hurdle to clear: industry fragmentation. That’s where MindForce, a UAE-based mental health entity, comes in.
Simon Walker, co-founder and managing director of MindForce, said: “MindForce started out as a way to help people with mental health issues, specifically helping people with addiction and marital issues. “But I quickly realized it was a bigger deal than that. Bigger question. I see MindForce as the glue in the mental health space where we can bring together mental health providers, psychiatrists, insurance companies, and the media. That’s what’s needed now: stakeholders united and talk to each other, but also be able to help patients in the UAE.”
Walker believes a disjointed mental health ecosystem is just as dangerous as a society that doesn’t understand mental illness. “Unfortunately, no one [within the industry] Know who’s doing what,” Walker lamented. “Entities are competing against each other and there is no cohesion. All of this ends up sending a very mixed message to the end patient. I think it’s very confusing for anyone who needs help, so I think providing it to individuals The right support has significant value.”
MindForce works across two verticals: personal support, which helps people access the right advice, medicine and support in a cost-effective way, and workplace support, which specifically targets mental health issues arising from work. To achieve this goal, MindForce first supported a number of UAE healthcare institutions, including Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, Saudi Arabian German Hospital, Reverse Psychology (a mental health clinic that provides psychological support), and Aspris (a health and well-being center).
“We also have a partnership with a mental health clinic called LifeWorks in Al Wasl, Dubai,” added Walker. “MindForce is connected to many providers, from holistic health centers to hospitals and psychiatrists. In fact, MindForce is connected to seven to eight psychiatric clinics. However, each clinic has its own unique skills, its own The mix of skills, as well as its own cultural component, can take some time to understand and choose from. But because the MindForce team knows all the players in the field, we can be more helpful when people ask specific questions. Understand the situation and point them in the right direction. It’s a very close relationship that allows mental health providers to open their doors to people more quickly.”
Walker revealed that he is paying out of his own pocket to keep MindForce afloat as a non-profit business because he has yet to find a financing partner for his venture. But to understand what keeps Walker going, it’s perhaps important to first look at his unconventional journey to becoming part of the mental health ecosystem. Walker is a former solicitor in the UK and Hong Kong, a registered foreign lawyer in the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), and a founding partner and chairman of Skyewalker Law in the United Arab Emirates. But a background in the legal field did not prevent him from eventually entering a field that had long interested him personally.
“Twenty-five years ago, when I was still in London, I went through a period of depression myself,” Walker recalls. “I went to my psychiatrist and he recommended that I go on medication, which I flatly refused to do. At the time, he said, ‘Well, if I tell you, 70 percent of my patients in the city are Get medication. , would that help you? I thought to myself, this is indeed a fairly common problem. And then, unfortunately in my history, my father took his own life 15 years ago, This rekindled a particularly strong interest in – and I think understanding of – the wider mental health field. Finally, 18 months ago, with the help of MindForce, I felt it was time to make my own mark on the mental health field to see if I could make a change. My law firm, Skyewalker Law, was going really well, so I decided to really do it and try to make a difference.”
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From this point on MindForce began, and Walker continued to seek allies to fulfill his quest. As the backbone of the MindForce movement, two powerful agencies from the UAE government: Dubai Police and Dubai Health Authority (DHA). “I have the support of Dubai Police and the DHA, which means I’m not just someone talking on LinkedIn,” Walker said. “So, there was an opportunity to really make a difference in the environment. I felt like with their help, plus my legal structured thinking, and my empathic mindset, I might be able to do something different in the mental health field.”
Simon Walker, co-founder and managing director of MindForce. Source: MindForce
Now, one might wonder what role the Dubai Police plays in the field of mental health. After all, Walker said, the government agency wasn’t the first name associated with the subject, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. “I think the police have an increasingly important role to play,” Walker explained. “You could say they deal with the mental health issues of people at the coalface. For example, the police often have to deal with people having mental breakdowns on the street. Also, the Dubai Police is an Emirati organization, so they understand the Emirati ways, but they Hundreds of nationalities have to be taken care of. As mental health issues grow in the UAE, they have formed a federal-level task force to develop a strategy and develop a health helpline. But they still value the care of different people across different interest groups. input to help them move things forward together.”
The Dubai Police initiative proved to be a major catalyst for MindForce. “I would say that despite some cultural and international difficulties, the police here have made more progress in mental health than in many areas,” Walker added. “I think Dubai actually has almost a chance of becoming a global leader in mental health. Leader, that’s one of the things that makes me very ambitious in my role.” Walker’s hopes for Dubai and the UAE as a whole appear to be high, but it comes at a “tipping point” for the country’s mental health system. A World Health Organization study shows that the number of patients seeking help for mental health issues in the UAE increased at least six-fold between 2017 and 2020 alone. Additionally, a 2022 study by German market analyst Kenkou that assessed mental health services in 50 countries showed that the UAE had only 0.77 psychologists per 100,000 people.
Walker said: “Every culture and every country has its own specific problems, but I would say that in Dubai, there is one key word that is both the most powerful cause and the most serious problem, and that is loneliness.” On the one hand, you have a group of expats who don’t have families. But on the other hand, you also have people who are very driven by business success, and a social culture that can be quite superficial at times. I think all of that it raises issues of loneliness now. If you’re paying attention Mental health, yes we can talk about depression, obesity, problems with family and children and so on. But loneliness is probably the number one factor and I think also because Dubai is relatively more ambitious economically and people feel a huge pressure to want Appearing successful…having all the trappings to meet the family’s expectations. But actually, underneath that, there can be a little bit of emptiness, and I think that can lead to a sense of loneliness, and isolation.”
Now, while Walker is looking at the general public, there is one group within the UAE that almost certainly suffers from loneliness issues: entrepreneurs. Numerous global studies highlight the existence of a mental health crisis within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, with loneliness cited as one of the most common consequences of choosing an entrepreneurial life. “I would say, as an entrepreneur, you have to prioritize giving yourself time, space, and peace of mind, just like you prioritize growing your business, billing, recruiting, or acquiring new clients!” Walker said. “In my own experience as an entrepreneur, one of the key words is ‘focus’. You have to focus on what you are doing and know exactly what your goals are. You can’t throw too much bread on the water. . But you also need to be very determined and focus on your own mental health and wellbeing. On the other hand, businesses are now seeing very clearly that if they don’t look after their employees, they can lose a lot of money. We’ve already seen the “Great Resignation” “What’s happening, we’re seeing what happens when the Gen Z workforce is very disillusioned. “
In fact, a June 2022 PwC Middle East study found that untreated mental illness in the GCC region results in the loss of at least 37.5 million productive working days annually, equivalent to $3.5 billion. “As a CEO, I’ve always understood that employee engagement, employee happiness, and organizational happiness make businesses run better, and I’ve believed that for 30 years,” Walker added. “But now, I think it’s all coming to the fore. Companies are finding that if they don’t take care of their employees and don’t provide the mental health support they should, employees will either go elsewhere or just not put in the effort they should. So, In a somewhat perverse way, the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (or crisis accelerated by the pandemic) has also actually accelerated a thought process: I’ve always thought I should get engaged.”
Now preparing himself and MindForce for the journey ahead, Walker reiterated that if there was anywhere to support the cause of mental health both personally and in the workplace, it was Dubai. “Dubai is a leader in many ways of thinking, and it is already leading the way in blockchain, the Metaverse and other emerging technologies,” he said. “Now, keep in mind that many solutions in the mental health space can be based on technology. In fact, it’s been proven that almost 80% of mental health problems can be solved through chatbots or artificial intelligence platforms. So, if we are in Du By being at the forefront of this type of technology, we can not only provide better mental health solutions, but also become a global thought leader in this field. If Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid, Crown Prince of Dubai His Highness Al Maktoum believes that by 2030, the virtual universe will be worth billions of dollars, and at that time not many leaders have the vision to even start thinking about the virtual universe, so I don’t think there is actually any specific limit to what we can do in it What was achieved.”
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