Title: Mental Health in the Middle East | Middle East Medical Portal
Headings: Mental Health in the Middle East
Mental Health in the Middle East
By Dr Hina Naveed
What is mental health?
Mental health conditions in the Middle East
Depression
Factors involved in causing depression
Prevalence of depression in the Middle East and the contributing factors
Treatment
Prevention
Conclusion

Content: Keeping in view the Middle East, environmental factors play a major role in developing depression and anxiety. As mentioned above, this region is experiencing the highest rates of depression. Let us have a look at the factors that are contributing towards depression in the Arab World. Prevalence of depression in the Middle East and the contributing factors
According to a recent study, the Arab World is facing greater problems of depression, compared to the rest of the World. The unique challenges faced by this region makes it the most depressive region throughout the World, some of which are discussed as follows: i) Stigmatization: Stigmatization of any mental health condition (in any region) worsens the problem. A society where mental health problem is associated with shame, disgrace, and disrespect and is considered as a taboo, people hesitate to talk about their mental health problems and are less likely to seek medical and psychological help. The internalization of the problems results in increasing mental stress, which ultimately leads towards clinical depression and even suicides in most of the cases. ii) Lack of mental health awareness and psychological help: