Ministry of Health indicated that number of beneficiaries from mental health hospitals and number of healthy people who recovered reached (4,145) recovered from January to June 2022, while the number of those admitted to treatment centers reached (5670) patients, and the number of treatment seekers (reporters of emergency and outpatient clinics) (22632) sick.
The ministry confirmed that it had taken an initiative to enhance provision of addiction treatment services in psychiatric clinics by nominating 50 hospitals as psychiatric clinics, in addition to organizing an introductory workshop on the initiative, and linking clinics on “Mawid” platform and Seha Virtual Hospital, in order to provide clinical consultations by doctors through specialized clinics in addiction treatment.
The ministry explained that the initiative idea arose by introducing doctors to the mechanism of dealing with addiction cases within the health care model, by dealing with addiction disease and accompanying psychological symptoms, in addition to introducing the family role in promoting the therapeutic and rehabilitative process, and the importance of integrating patients in addiction rehabilitation services to reduce relapse rates.
The Ministry indicated that the initiative aims to facilitate service access for addiction patients, reduce stigma among addictive patients, strengthen the health care model, and raise quality of health care services for addiction patients.
The Ministry said that “Irada” and Mental Health Complexes in the Kingdom provide preventive, curative and rehabilitative services, which are represented in defining the dangers of addiction and its complications, the risk factor for falling therein and causes of relapse, treating withdrawal symptoms when quitting addiction or treating the accompanying psychological symptoms, whether through clinics or through hypnosis suites. It indicated that skills necessary to continue to stop addiction are provided, whether through clinics, which is the so-called aftercare, or through accommodation and hospitalization in so-called midway houses, which may extend from (6 to 9 months).
Preventive aspects carried out by “Irada” and Mental Health Hospitals and Complexes include awareness lectures, activating international anti-drug days, telephone consultations and awareness messages through social media. Addiction treatment clinics and hypnosis suites in “Irada” complexes and hospitals also provide services for treating withdrawal symptoms as a result of discontinuation, and treatment of psychological symptoms associated with addiction, which may last up to a month, interspersed with individual sessions to increase insight, and raise the motivation to join rehabilitation programs.
As for most prominent services in rehabilitation clinics (aftercare clinics) or (halfway houses), they include individual sessions, in addition to collective sessions, educational lectures, activities, exercises and rehabilitation, in addition to providing services through a safe therapeutic community, and similar rehabilitation activities in recreational and religious trips such as Hajj and Umrah.