Research Library

Authors:

1. Harold G Koenig
2. Faten Al-Zaben
3. Mohammad Gamal Sehlo
4. Doaa Ahmed Khalifa
5. Mahmoud Shaheen Al-Ahwal

International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine

10.2190/PM.46.3.a

Background: In 1983, an article and accompanying editorial was published on the state of psychiatry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which was described as ’a mental health system in statu nascendi." Methods: We provide a 30-year update on advances in mental health care in KSA. Data are reported from a wide range of sources, including the 2007 Saudi Arabian Mental and Social Health Atlas, which compares services in KSA with the rest of the world. Results: We examine how the current mental health system operates in KSA, including recent changes in mental healthcare policy and development of a national mental healthcare plan. Discussed are current needs based on the prevalence and recognition of mental disorders; availability of services and providers (psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and social workers); education and training in psychiatry; developments in consultation-liaison, addictions, child-adolescent, and geriatric psychiatry; and progress in mental health research. Conclusions: Mental healthcare in Saudi Arabia has come a long way in a very short time, despite cultural, religious, social, and political challenges, although there still remain areas where improvement is needed. The development of psychiatry in KSA serves as a model for countries in the Middle East and around the world.

Keywords

featured, jeddah, psychiatry, review, saudi arabia, study

Citation

Koenig, H.G., Al-Zaben, F., Sehlo, M.G., Khalifa, D.A., & Al-Ahwal, M.S. (2013). Current State of Psychiatry in Saudi Arabia. Int’l J. Psychiatry in Medicine, 46(3), 223-242, doi: 10.2190/PM.46.3.a