Dr Shamil Wanigaratne is Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Senior Advisor to H.E. Director General at the National Rehabilitation Centre, Abu Dhabi. He is also the Head of the NRC Training Institute and Acting Head of Research. He is Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University and Visiting Associate, King’s College London. Until April 2011 he was Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Clinical Psychology for Addictions at the Maudsley Hospital London. He is currently in charge of setting up the National Rehabilitation Center Training Institute.
He has worked as a psychologist in the field of Addiction since 1987 and has been involved in teaching and training psychologists and other health professionals, throughout his career. He has conducted research and published widely on psychological aspects of addiction. He was a founding member of the British Psychological Society’s Faculty of Addiction and was its Chair from 2000 to 2001. He co-founded the UK-Sri Lanka Trauma Group a British Registered Charity and is currently its Chair. He is also Honorary Consultant to Mel Medura Addiction Treatment Centre, Colombo.
In recognition of his of his contribution to his field and profession, he was elected as a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2011. He was also elected as a Fellow of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists in 2017.
Abstract
Behavioural Addictions Among Clinic Attenders in the UAE: An Exploratory Study
Objectives:
- To obtain a cross-sectional picture of behavioural addictions seen in patients seeking help for psychological problems.
- To obtain a cross-sectional picture of the types of behavioural addictions that people seek help for in the UAE.
- To measure the perceived impact of Covid-19 on behavioral addictions seen in mental health services in the UAE.
Rationale:
To obtain a picture of what types of behavioral disorders, particularly internet related disorders are seen in clinics providing mental health services in the UAE. Also to assess whether Covid-19 pandemic had any impact on perceived incidence.
Methodology:
A cross-sectional survey methodology will be used in the study.
Results
Preliminary results and analysis will be presented. Implications of the findings and directions for future research will be suggested.
Preliminary Results of the WHO funded study of Health Consequences of Drug Use: Demographic Profile and Predictors of Substance Use Disorders in a Clinical Population in the UAE
Objectives
- To examine the nature and extent of morbidity associated with substance use
- To explore the impact of treatment of substance use disorder on the individual’s global health status.
Rationale
Substance use disorder (SUD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Co-occurring mental health disorders occur in over 50% of this population. In contrast, the prevalence of blood borne infections Hepatitis C was, estimated to be 50.9% and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was 12.7% (UNODC, 2019). Demographic profiles, particularly of substance users, differ from country to country and from region to region hence it is important to study morbidity in relation to a particular profile.
Method
As part of a WHO funded study into physical correlates of substance use, the clinical records contained in the Patient Information System of the was interrogated using a template to extract the relevant data.
Results
Majority were polydrug users. Heroin was the most used primary drug followed by prescription drugs and alcohol. The relationship between the substances of abuse with morbidity will be analysed in the next phase of the study.
Implications of the current findings and lessons learnt so far in conducting the study will be presented.