ABU DHABI // A culture of secrecy and shame surrounding drug abuse by women has left medical professionals unsure about the extent of the problem and ill-equipped to treat it, experts say.
According to Dr Fatima al Hamedi, a psychologist at the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Abu Dhabi, most people do not accept that Emirati men can be drug addicts, let alone local women.
"Women are considered diamonds that should be kept safe and many ideas jump to mind - either they were poorly raised or that she's misbehaved," said Dr al Hamedi.
Cultural factors may mask the true extent of the problem, as women are often protected by their families, which may prevent them from independently seeking treatment.
Dr Saliha Afridi, a clinical psychologist who works with substance abuse at the Human Relations Institute in Dubai, said: "Women come [to their families] and say, 'I'm not feeling well' or 'my head hurts' or 'I feel sad'. They will make up something and that will get them in the door to me, then they'll say, 'This is the real issue'."
Women might be more prone to abuse prescription drugs because of their easy availability and social acceptability, Dr Afridi said.
"There needs to be a lot of education. Just because the doctor gives [medication] to you, doesn't mean you can't abuse it," she said.
Women with drug problems have few places to turn, doctors say. The NRC, which only treats Emirati males, refers the few women who contact the centre - mostly about the abuse of prescription medication - to Sheikh Khalifa Medical City's detoxification unit. But the situation is set to improve.
By early next year, the NRC plans to open a 10-bed inpatient unit for women, as well as offer outpatient care, staffed only by women.
The female unit is part of a larger expansion plan that will see a new 200-bed centre in Mohammed Bin Zayed City by 2015. The NRC will also open a youth unit, as well as a criminal justice programme, by early next year.
Because there are no detailed statistics on drug abuse, the expansion was based on anecdotal evidence of need, such as police findings and patients' accounts of substance abuse among women.
"There is no specific data to say we have a problem, and this is the magnitude of the problem," said Dr Hamad al Ghaferi, the executive director of the NRC.
The NRC is in the process of signing an agreement with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to conduct a survey that will assess the magnitude of all drug misuse in the UAE.
Fluctuations in substance misuse among the population needs to be monitored to identify at-risk groups and develop effective prevention strategies, said Sabrina Tahboub-Schulte, an adjunct professor in psychology at the University of Sharjah.
@Email:mdetrie@thenational.ae
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The five pillars of Islam
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.
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
