Qatar’s Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Mental Health Service introduced a new Learning Disability Service (LDS) to provide assessment and treatment services for people with learning disabilities.
The specialist Learning Disability Service was conducted in early 2020, but due to coronavirus restrictions regarding patient visits, it was enhanced in December 2020.
The LDS has now been formally launched to support the expansion in mental health service provisions. A new multidisciplinary team offers outpatients clinics, community outreach services, and consultation-liaison services with other health service provisions.
“These behaviours can include irritable temper outbursts, hitting or kicking other people or throwing things – it can be any behaviour that might be harmful to the person and others around them, and stops them achieving things in their daily life, such as making friends or concentrating on a school or work project,” said Dr Majid al-Abdullah, chair of Psychiatry and medical director of MHS
“Learning disabilities often encompass communication difficulties, which may contribute to frustration exhibited in various challenging behaviors. In people with more severe learning disabilities, the behaviours may be a form of communication with others. Family, friends must make every effort and carers to understand that the individual needs help to communicate and manage their emotions. Such behaviours often start in childhood and can become more pronounced in time if left untreated,” added Dr Abdullah.
The service caters to male or female adults (aged 18 and above) with all levels of learning disabilities and have associated mental health conditions and behaviours that can be challenging for the individual and the people around them.
