THE IMPACT ON COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON UAE CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH - POLICY ANALYSIS
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Children in the UAE are facing increasing mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their daily routines are interrupted and the world they know is changing, as they stay at home isolated from their peers and friends. This policy brief addresses children’s mental health in the UAE amid the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzes the impact of the pandemic on mental health policy. Mental health in the UAE has witnessed gradual advancement in the past few years, however, there is still more to address, especially in relation to children’s mental health and wellbeing. The local mental health scene is clouded by various challenges, including shortage in service providers, fragmentary regulations, and social stigma. The COVID-19 pandemic, as globally predicted, will lead to an exponential increase in mental health patients, and the UAE is not an exception. It is true that the pandemic presents unprecedented challenges to the mental health system, however, it also offers many opportunities to advance it.