At present, the quality of mental healthcare in Oman is on the rise. While not at international standards yet, there are definite advances being made especially when it comes to treatment for conditions such as anxiety disorder. The country’s only psychiatric facility is Al Masarrah Hospital in the capital, Muscat. The WHO-AIMS Report also states that there are 26 outpatient mental health facilities throughout the country. None provides follow-up care however. There are also two community-based psychiatric inpatient units offering their services to Omani locals. Day treatment facilities and community residential facilities are non-existent.
Frequency of Anxiety Disorders in Oman
Due to the developing nature of the country’s mental healthcare field, there are few hard statistics about the number of people suffering from anxiety in Oman. Some limited studies have been done in this area however. One research paper looked at Omani school students and concluded that the prevalence of social phobia was higher than the numbers reported elsewhere worldwide.
Another study looked at college students in Oman and concluded that 7.5% showed signs of severe social phobia. About two thirds of these were women. In total, 36.9% of students exhibited higher than normal signs of social phobia. This was almost equally distributed amongst males and females.
Steps towards Better Anxiety Treatment
As mentioned previously, Oman is making positive steps towards a better mental health system especially with regards to anxiety disorders. There has been a push to get more people talking about it through government initiatives and newspaper articles on the subject. There are also campaigns run by local healthcare facilities aimed at promoting wider awareness about this topic. One which is called Not Alone involves individuals talking about their battle with various mental health conditions in a public environment.
The Fight against Social Stigma in Oman
Social stigma is a major hurdle that those suffering from anxiety have to deal with when seeking treatment in Oman. As mental illness is a taboo subject, many still suffer in silence for fear of being labelled as insane, weird or peculiar. As most of these cases occur in private, the vast majority go unnoticed. One study found that only 5.2% of anxiety disorder cases are actually treated. None made contact within the first year of onset with the median delay being approximately 14 years. Females were 13.5 times more likely to seek assistance than males were, highlighting the Arab males fear of expressing his emotions in public. Unfortunately, this behaviour leads to other, more physical dangers. For instance, experts have linked reckless driving on Oman’s roads to anxiety and other psychological distress.
Seeking Anxiety Therapy Abroad
Because of the current environment when it comes to mental healthcare and stigma in Oman, some choose to look overseas for assistance. Camino Recovery has now opened its doors to all Omanis seeking international standards of care in a setting free from judgement and stress. We are located an hour’s drive from Malaga, Spain. Our seaside retreat is found on the sunny Andalusian Coast, allowing you to relax your body and mind and focus on a complete mental recovery. Our programmes aim for long-term results so you can then fly back to Oman a happier, more balanced individual.
Support with Social Phobia and Anxiety
Our team has more than 80 years of experience in the mental healthcare field and can treat your individual symptoms with the care and attention you deserve. We will tailor a personalised treatment plan to help seek out the root cause of your anxiety and help you develop positive habits that prevent reoccurrence in the future. This will be done through a number of effective treatment procedures including cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy and equine assisted psychotherapy. All of these will be conducted in a tranquil, private setting where you can focus completely on the problem at hand and work together with our staff to solve these issues.
A Holiday for Your Body and Mind
If you are worried about the lower standards of care offered in Oman or are scared of the local stigma surrounding mental illness, make a booking at Camino Recovery today. The flight from Muscat to Malaga takes anywhere from 11 to 15 hours depending on the place of transfer. Numerous airlines ply this route including Oman Air, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Emirates. We will have a driver awaiting you at Malaga Airport, ready to pick you up and take you to our private retreat. Once there, you can commence a personalised treatment programme for your anxiety disorder.