The ability to nurture and care for others is a quality that comes naturally to Dr Nahida Ahmed.
Dr Ahmed says a good mother is one who encourages you to become your best self — the attributes that are also needed by a therapist or psychiatrist.
Both make sure the people under their care get the warmth and emotional connectedness that are key to living a happy life.
“My roles are an extension of one another”, said Dr Ahmed. She is the chairwoman of the Behavioural Health Council at Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) and also serves as the chairwoman of the Mental Health Task Force at Abu Dhabi's Department of Health.
“It’s all about caring for people and supporting them to do better.”
Dr Ahmed’s passion for giving back is one of the main drivers behind the work she does.
Mental health support for all
The Emirati author and lecturer has taken on implementing mental health reforms across the UAE and fighting the stigma that surrounds mental health.
Under her supervision earlier this year, the Department of Health successfully integrated mental health check-ups within primary care services at public clinics in the capital.
This aligns with her personal and professional vision to normalise mental health awareness and create a holistic model for treatment.
Under this initiative, patients in Abu Dhabi are evaluated for mental wellness with a simple checklist. They are then either given a diagnosis and treated by primary care providers or referred for more specialised help, if needed.
“Primary care providers are those who own your health records, and whether you have a cold or have depression, they can be your guide to get the proper help”, said Dr Ahmed.
“Training primary care providers to understand the symptoms, diagnose the situation and assess the needed next steps is part of our holistic model.”
About 100 medics in Abu Dhabi were trained to assess and diagnose mental health problems and 450 medical professionals were trained in suicide prevention when the initiative was rolled out in January.
Dr Ahmed said the initiative was welcomed by the public.
“There is a noticeable change in perception of mental health in the UAE”, she said.
“Across different ages, the stigma surrounding mental well-being is dwindling and people are understanding that it’s an illness that can affect everybody, with no shame.
“There is nothing more gratifying than changing someone’s trajectory in life. That in itself is magical and fuels me every day.”
Working with the younger generation
Another woman who is working for the welfare of the younger generation is Dr Vedrana Mladina, clinical psychologist and associate director of counselling at New York University Abu Dhabi.
“I love working with students and young people”, said Dr Mladina. “The seeds of empowerment you plant in them today are what you sow in the near future”.
Through her role at the university, Dr Mladina oversees outreach programmes and initiatives that aim to simplify mental health for students and teach them that little things can make a difference.
“The simplicity makes it doable”, she told The National. “It reminds them of the small things they can do to feel and be better, and it’s more likely to stick with them long-term.”
Not only does the university organise educational campaigns for the students, but it also gives them the space to present their ideas on how to improve mental health and suggest resources they would like to have.
“When you listen to what they have to say, you see you can learn from young people as much as they learn from you”, said Dr Mladina.
“It [Abu Dhabi] is one of the few places in the world where we have the appropriate channels, tools and support to boost mental health."
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Friday, September 22
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
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Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
