Abu Dhabi parents get a guide to addressing mental health issues

Developed by DCD, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, this guide provides parents with general information on coping with everyday stress and living a healthy and stable life. It also sheds light on the importance of mental health and how it affects the behavior and feelings of an individual or family, further emphasizing how it affects daily life and the ability to deal with psychological stress.

The guidelines highlight factors that influence mental health, including relationships, lifestyle, personal and external factors.

Dr. Layla AlHayas, Executive Director of DCD’s Community Development Unit, said the department is constantly developing and implementing initiatives to provide services that meet the needs of community members and provide them with the best tools to deal with mental stress.

“We have launched the Parent’s Guide to raise awareness of the different psychological aspects of parents, while focusing on empowering them to cope effectively with the stressors of everyday life. The guide supports their ability to deal with social circumstances and difficult situations. Through this Guide, we highlight our efforts to monitor, identify and respond to social challenges, and to provide care and high standards of service to community members. It further reflects our commitment to ensuring the well-being of Abu Dhabi’s communities and strengthening the emirate as an ideal to live in the status of the destination.”

This guide introduces parents to various ways to enhance mental health, including improving all aspects of our daily lives by building and maintaining healthy relationships.

It further addresses the need to enjoy and explore life, increase productivity and efficiency at work, enhance social contribution, cope with mental stress, change and uncertainty, and prevent mental and physical illness.

The guidelines highlight a variety of mental, physical and social needs that are important for improving mental health. It also focuses on identifying support networks, being aware of and utilizing coping strategies to reduce situations that can lead to mental stress.

In addition, the guide teaches how to communicate one’s fears clearly with partners, friends, and mental health professionals, and to further embrace the fact that one can make mistakes and go through difficult situations in life. “

Through this guide, DCD demonstrates the role of relationships in mental health and explores ways to enhance relationships with life partners through enhanced communication. It also reflects relationships with children and their impact on parents’ mental health, as well as relationships with colleagues, and through respect, effective communication, confidentiality, trust, self-awareness and boundaries.