By Abdellatif Sharaa
KUWAIT: ArtnDine celebrated World Mental Health Day at the Volvo Studio at the Khaleejia Tower on Tuesday evening. The event featured lectures on mindfulness, breathing, meditation, and mental health. Psychiatry specialist and head of the medical department at the Addiction Treatment Center, Dr Husain Al-Shatti, spoke about art and its connection with psychological health. He said that a person can express himself or herself through art, adding that there are treatments with the use of art.
The art treatments involve analyzing the drawings through communication between the doctor and the patient. He added that the relationship between art and psychiatric health is very old. “Every year, we attempt to promote awareness about psychiatric diseases, the existence of treatment for such diseases, and the fact that they are available in society.
It is normal for a person to suffer from a psychological disease,” he said, adding that 20 percent of people in any society have some type of psychological case. He said that most health centers in Kuwait have psychological clinics that are run either by a psychologist or a family doctor. Dr Bander Al-Mutairi spoke about the difference between anxiety and fear. He said that anxiety makes up up to 30 percent of psychological diseases.
He said that symptoms of anxiety include feeling nervous, anxious, or on the edge; not being able to stop or control worrying; worrying too much about different things; having trouble relaxing; being so restless; becoming easily annoyed; and feeling afraid. He said that 90 percent of people who suffer from panic attacks suffer from other psychological conditions, like some type of phobia, adding that women are twice as likely to suffer from panic attacks.
Dr Al-Mutairi said the reasons for panic attacks are linked to neurotransmitters due to the environment, pressures, or genes. Breathing exercises were demonstrated by Yosi Yaz. Dr. Reham Al-Raghaib practiced art therapy and mindful exercises.
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