{"id":826725,"date":"2026-03-15T05:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T05:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/826725\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T05:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T05:05:16","slug":"dubai-launches-mental-health-hotline-to-support-public-as-iran-crisis-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/826725\/","title":{"rendered":"Dubai launches mental health hotline to support public as Iran crisis continues"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-0-YLEGB2LE4RDLXL2TXYVMZQJWX4\">Dubai authorities on Saturday called on doctors and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenationalnews.com\/news\/uae\/2025\/10\/28\/uae-millennials-drive-change-to-prioritise-mental-over-physical-health-survey-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.thenationalnews.com\/news\/uae\/2025\/10\/28\/uae-millennials-drive-change-to-prioritise-mental-over-physical-health-survey-finds\/\">mental health <\/a>specialists to volunteer their time and expertise to support public <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenationalnews.com\/news\/uae\/2026\/03\/05\/warning-over-mental-toll-of-sleepless-nights-as-iran-strikes-persist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.thenationalnews.com\/news\/uae\/2026\/03\/05\/warning-over-mental-toll-of-sleepless-nights-as-iran-strikes-persist\/\">well-being <\/a>during Iran&#8217;s continuing attacks on the UAE.<\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-1-VB2NCL4FURHNZOGVLHHJX23L2U\">The emirate&#8217;s Community Development Authority has joined forces with Dubai Health and the Dubai Health Authority to set up a hotline to help the community navigate challenging times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-3-DOAK67H5OBHLVEIUK4TKNB2SO4\">The free service will connect callers to qualified specialists who provide confidential psychological \u201cfirst aid\u201d and guidance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-4-7XATJ2MVD5EPHDM4XO6FA3ISBI\">The Dubai Community Mental Health Support Hotline \u2013 on 800 506 \u2013 is part of the Itma\u2019en mental well-being service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-5-U2MEKOPYAVHRPIBCAWWXXMOPPA\">It comes as the Emirates and other Gulf countries come under daily attack from Iranian missiles and drones. <\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-7-2NTJWPZ2KRAXZEQJQV4SK7LCJ4\">Under the scheme, volunteers will play a vital role by listening to callers, providing initial emotional support and directing those needing further intervention to the appropriate organisations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-9-MCDKCXHDINFYFLSI6HOU2B4KAA\">It is open to qualified and licensed professionals in medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, or related disciplines. Training is provided. <\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-10-S3SUFCT2UNE7HBZWLLWXZDTNTU\">Students and trainees in relevant fields may also participate under professional supervision. Volunteers are expected to demonstrate foundational knowledge of psychological first aid, and strong communication skills, as well as committing to the training and adhering to the protocols governing the hotline.<\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-11-OJVSUCUUHFB5VDRWZWL45VAJUA\">Hessa Buhumaid, director general of Dubai&#8217;s Community Development Authority, said engaging qualified professionals and specialists in community-based support initiatives plays a vital role in reinforcing society\u2019s ability to respond to psychological pressures and challenges. It also fosters the values of solidarity, compassion and collective responsibility that define Dubai\u2019s community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-12-QWX5LUDIHVBADFHYYNVVKFG6OY\">Dr Alawi Alsheikh Ali, director general of the Dubai Health Authority, said that opening the door for volunteers to join the Itma\u2019en mental well-being service reflects Dubai\u2019s commitment to strengthening community care systems and expanding channels for delivering specialised services in this field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-13-XGX7CSQ6MZHRJNRAOQUY6QDG5E\">Dr Amer Sharif, chief executive of Dubai Health and president of Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, said volunteering is a deeply rooted value in the UAE community and a genuine expression of giving back. <\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-14-B2SEYDXQHNGAVPX54GQ5WMFOWY\">\u201cIt plays an important role in strengthening social responsibility and supporting the well-being of society,\u201d said Dr Sharif. <\/p>\n<p class=\"defaultstyled__StyledText-sc-11u52t4-1 huqwQJ margin-lg-bottom\" id=\"el-15-J53SITPO6VGIFAWFFLIEVWCX34\">The CDA is inviting qualified mental health professionals to register through the Dubai Now app and join the network of community support volunteers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dubai authorities on Saturday called on doctors and mental health specialists to volunteer their time and expertise to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":826726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[2721,105,725,218,1715,1426,2722,117601,16,15,237467],"class_list":{"0":"post-826725","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-dubai","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-health-news","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-standard","13":"tag-story","14":"tag-uae","15":"tag-uae-desk-team","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-us-election-2024"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116231453330919969","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=826725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/826726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=826725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=826725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=826725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}