The manual is prepared by the Department of Community Development (DCD) of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, and Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority
On Sunday, the Department of Community Development (DCD) of Abu Dhabi issued the ‘Parents’ Manual on Mental Health to commemorate World Health Day, which is observed on October 10.
The manual on mental health has been rolled out to create awareness amongst parents on the concept of mental health. The purpose is to help frame a healthy family atmosphere.
This unveiling is a component of DCD’s incessant efforts to deliver services and initiatives that create support for various divisions of society, in partnership with social and health entities of Abu Dhabi.
The manual is prepared by the Department of Community Development (DCD) of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, and Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority that offers parents overall information for dealing with everyday stress and leading a wholesome, balanced way of life.
It also elucidates the importance of mental health and its effect on an individual or family’s behavior and feelings, emphasizing how it influences daily lives and a person’s capability to cope with mental pressure. Delineated in the guide are the factors that affect mental health, including lifestyles, relationships, personal factors, and external factors.
Dr. Layla Al-Hayas, Executive Director of Social Monitoring and Innovation at the Department of Community Development stated that Abu Dhabi has established the DCD’s commitment to embarking on initiatives that support mental health, such as the Parents’ Guide on Mental Health.
She reiterated that the department is continuously formulating and implementing initiatives to offer services that meet the demands of community members and offer them optimum tools to cope with mental stress.
DCD’s aim on creating awareness
Al-Hayas stated that the DCD has launched the Parents Guide intending to create awareness for different (mental health) aspects of parents while focusing on empowering them to effectively deal with daily life pressures.
The guide offers support for dealing with social circumstances and inconvenient situations, she said.
With this guide, the department would draw attention to its efforts to examine, discover and focus on societal challenges, and offer care and ambitious standards of services to the community members. It further indicates their dedication to safeguarding the well-being of the Abu Dhabi community and strengthening the Emirates’ position as an idyllic living destination, Al-Hayas added.
This guide advises parents on several methods to enhance mental health, involving improving aspects of their everyday lives by building and sustaining healthy relationships. It further focuses on the need to appreciate and delve into life, be productive and effective at work, augment the ability to contribute socially, cope with mental pressure, changes, and uncertainty and prevent mental and physical illness.
The guide also emphasizes numerous mental, physical, and social needs, which are important to enhancing mental health. It concentrates on identifying a system of support, as well as being aware of and applying coping strategies to mitigate incidents that may cause mental pressure. In addition, the guide educates parents on how to communicate clearly about their fears with partners, friends, and mental health professionals, and to further acknowledge the fact that an individual will make missteps and go through challenging conditions in life.
Through this guide, The Department of Community Development (DCD) highlights the part relationships play in mental health and delve into avenues of enriching one’s relationship with their consort by increasing communication.
It also reflects on parents’ relationships with their children and their influence on the mental health of the former, as well as their relationship with their co-workers, and the importance of keeping this healthy through effective communication, respect, confidentiality, trust, self-awareness, and boundaries.
About the Department of Community Development (DCD)
As the custodian of Abu Dhabi’s social sector agenda, DCD strives to raise the quality of services in the sector, create an inclusive and cohesive society in the Emirate, and offer opportunities and services for all individuals in Abu Dhabi to grow socially, and economically, and ensure adequate living standards for all members of the community.
The Department of Community Development aims towards three main objectives:
- To ensure adequate living standards for all members of the community
- Create an inclusive society built on cohesive families
- An effective and conscientious community