The United Arab Emirates has a rapidly growing population. Around one-third of its population is under 25, and the majority are non-UAE nationals, who have moved there from other parts of the world.
In the past few decades, the UAE has experienced dramatic urbanisation, transforming its social structures. During these years, reported mental health concerns have also rapidly increased.
Children and adolescents in Dubai may experience different kinds of stressors that make them more vulnerable to mental health challenges. For those who have moved to the UAE, adjusting to a new environment can cause additional stress that may lead to experiences of low mood, anxiety, and identity confusion. Having a migrant background has been linked to an increased risk of psychosis in different places in the world.
Young people in the UAE may also be confronted with mental health stigma among friends, family members, and even health institutions. This stigma can discourage young people from seeking help and limit the provision of adequate mental health support.
There are few studies about young people’s mental health in the UAE or Dubai specifically. Research has mainly focused on anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, highlighting a high prevalence among young people. However, we know that young people also experience other mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder.
What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?
Borderline personality disorder is a mental health disorder where someone experiences intense and changing emotions. Young people with BPD may feel unsure about who they are, act impulsively, and experience patterns of intense and unstable relationships.
Having BPD doesn’t mean there is something wrong with a young person’s personality. Instead, BPD traits can be considered a normal response to difficult life experiences that become maladaptive in everyday life. BPD is treatable and, with the right support, young people with BPD can live independent and fulfilling lives.
Accessing Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder in Dubai
In Dubai and the UAE, there is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health issues. Young people in the region describe feelings of shame about their mental health that prevent them from seeking help. They may also be discouraged by a lack of family support and their parents’ ideas about mental health.
Borderline personality disorder is one of the most stigmatised mental health disorders worldwide. Clinicians in different countries are often reluctant to give a BPD diagnosis because they’re worried about how it will affect someone’s opportunities, or they wrongly believe that BPD isn’t treatable. Sadly, this stigma prevents many people from receiving the treatment they require and deserve.
A report authored by medics at a psychiatric centre in Dubai describes the way stigma affects people with BPD in Arab countries. They explain how cultural stigma, often tied to religious beliefs, discourages many people from seeking help. At the same time, cultural norms about family responsibilities, which may be difficult for someone with BPD to fulfil, create additional feelings of shame that can cause further isolation.
Within the healthcare profession, people with BPD also face stigma from healthcare providers. Many healthcare providers don’t receive enough training about BPD, causing misconceptions about the disorder.
All these barriers can prevent young people from receiving a timely diagnosis for borderline personality disorder. This is really important because early intervention prevents much of the short- and long-term harm associated with BPD.
During the time from when BPD traits first emerge in young people and a diagnosis in adulthood, adolescents can experience a range of harmful consequences, including behaviours of self-harm, the development of other mental health conditions, and disruptions to normal developmental processes.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services in Dubai
Mental health disorders among young people require quick interventions. This means that early detection is really important, alongside effective referral pathways to accessing specialist, appropriate support.
In many places, primary care physicians play an essential role in this process. They serve as the first point of contact, facilitate early diagnosis, and manage the referral process. But for these steps to be practical, they must have adequate training in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Research from Dubai has concluded that integrating mental health services into primary care centres in Dubai faces unique challenges. They found that:
- Only 33.3% of family physicians in Dubai health facilities were trained in child and adolescent psychiatry in their medical education
- 54.4% of primary care physicians felt unprepared to manage mental health care in young people
- Primary care services faced many barriers, including limited knowledge, systematic and structural issues, communication difficulties, and shortages of resources
Unfortunately, these barriers mean that many mental health problems among young people are overlooked and remain undetected. This prevents children and adolescents from receiving early diagnoses and interventions for borderline personality disorder and other mental health conditions.
The Wave Clinic: Specialist Mental Health Support for Young People
At the Wave, we recognise the importance of early diagnoses and interventions. We offer support for young people with BPD traits even if they don’t yet meet the criteria for a categorical diagnosis. This might be when they first show signs of BPD.
We take a whole-person approach to treatment for BPD, combining exceptional clinical care with social and occupational support, education, and enriching experiences. We support young people in developing their self-confidence and building a stable identity through collective practices, meaningful relationships, and therapeutic care.
Some of our treatment modalities include:
- Dialectical behavioural therapy -A
- Adolescent identity therapy
- Mentalisation-based treatment
- Emotional regulation therapy
- Cognitive analytic therapy
If you’re interested in learning more about our programs, please contact us today.
