Dr. Elie Karam, Adult Psychiatrist and Head of MIND attended the the Milken Institute MENA SUMMIT 2019 in Abu
Dhabi on February 12, 2019 and participated in a session titled: From
Stigma to Treatment: Tackling the Global Mental Health Crisis.
During this session, leading experts in
mental health discussed the local and worldwide causes of mental health
disorders, as well as the most effective treatments currently available
as well as the best ways to tackle the mental health crisis and its
growing physical, emotional and financial costs.
The session was moderated by LaTese Briggs, Senior Director, Center for Strategic Philanthropy, Milken Institute and included interventions from Dr. Elie Karam, Ms. Lynne Goldberg, Co-Founder of Breethe, Ms. Annalisa Jenkins Chair of the Board, YouBelong and Mr. Colin Lawlor, CEO, SleepScore Labs.
During the session, the speakers
discussed the global mental health crisis from different angles and its
severe
emotional cost to individuals and communities as well as the importance
of adapting models which are used to assess mental health issues to the
MENA cultures and experiences.
Dr. Karam discussed mental health
stigma, the role of technology in mental health, the current treatment
options, mental health in the MENA region, mental health challenges and
barriers, the relationship between mental and physical health and the
lessons learned from mental health research done at MIND's sister organization, IDRAAC, and
internationally.