The drive was not easy from Heliopolis to Helwan but we made it, and we were not disappointed. This 75-year-old psychiatric institution is the oldest in the mental health field in the MENA region. It may be a daunting concept because of the stigma psychiatric hospitals have in Egypt, but honestly, visiting it was a literal walk in the park. We met with the Head of the Psychology Department, Sara Mallawany, along with Director of the Addiction Unit, Dr. Mostafa Hussein Omar, and sat in Behman’s outdoor vicinity for a chat.We’ll start with basic info. The purpose of these questions is to gather information that we’ll add to the map and can help people decide when choosing a place:
1. Hours:
Opening hours vary from one clinic to the other. (check their services here)
2. Availability for After-Hours Contact:
There are on-duty doctors 24/7 at the hospital. The hospital also has 24/7-hour emergency call coverage, which also supports all the Behman outpatient clinics at (202) 28166610, (202) 28166612, (202) 28166621, (202) 28166614, and (202) 28166620.
3. Walk-Ins:
Only available at the hospital, for both inpatients and outpatients.
4. Credentials/Specialisations:
Professionals have a minimum of a master’s degree, and are specialised and trained. All the psychiatrists are medically trained professionals (ranging from registrars, residents, specialists to consultants, and many of them are members of the Royal College of Psychiatry and/or the Arab Board of Psychiatry.
5. Psychiatrists/Psychologists:
Both at the hospital and outpatient clinics.
6. Prices:
In Behman, around 500 EGP for both psychiatric and psychotherapy sessions, 350 EGP for psychometric evaluations. Prices vary from each outpatient clinic to the other.
Now, we’ll move on to subjective questions, which aren’t included in the map but will help us get to know Behman’s mindset.
Q1: What do you think of the stigma surrounding mental health?
A: There is a huge barrier across social classes, of course. But what’s strange is that even psychology majors are not really aware of how people with mental illnesses are really like, until they have face-to-face contact with them.
Q2: What would you say to people afraid of starting therapy? How does a first session look like?
A: People need to know that a mental health professional is not here to give advice, but is rather a mirror, a reflection, or a guide towards ways to deal across all environments, reduce stress, and aid in successful adaptation.
Q3: What can you do to help protect a client’s identity so they aren’t spotted by people they know?
A: Really, does this happen with a gynaecologist? We are extremely punctual and value the patient/client’s time, and that they are probably feeling anxious waiting, so we try not to have them wait more than 5 mins.
Q4: A student feels the need to see a mental health professional, but their parents don’t support that decision, so they won’t fund their therapy. What would you tell parents that don’t believe in the legitimacy of therapy? What can someone on a very tight budget do in that situation?
A: If above 18, their parents have no right to prevent them from seeking help at all. However, we cannot obtain consent from individuals under 18. We encourage parents to come and ask questions, take a look, and get exposed to how this really is so that they can become more comfortable.
Q5: When do you think a referral to a psychiatrist / starting medication is necessary? What about people that don’t believe in or are paranoid about medication for mental illnesses?
A: I think that if the person is just no longer able to go on with life normally; decline in performance, grades, just a deterioration in functionality with an impaired insight of how they are, then there needs to be some medication. There is a pill-shaming culture that talks about medication as dangerous. This is an extreme position that is extremely misleading on another extreme position from SOME doctors who overmedicate. Medication is supposed to and does save lives regardless of the side effects, and it is the right of the patient to discuss and decide on the meds with the doctor.
Q6: Have you noticed a trend lately in patients?
A: Well, we’re almost always swamped. We could attribute this to the limited number of beds per capita though. Also, the political situation over the past few years have really affected people’s mental health.
For Pictures of the Hospital Check their Gallery:
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