Sharjah launches free mental health centre Etizan

April 01, 2026 / 9:34 AM

Sharjah24: Sharjah Social Services Department has announced the launch of its latest humanitarian initiative aimed at improving quality of life and ensuring access for mental health patients to necessary treatment services. This comes through the “Etizan” Mental Health Services Centre, which provides care for patients under the age of 60 through a package of free services, including home care and therapeutic support. The centre was inaugurated on 1 March.

Free services to enhance quality of life

Buthaina Al Ali, Director of the centre and a psychotherapist, explained that the centre aims to provide safe mental health services for beneficiaries, enhance psychological balance and quality of life, and prevent mental disorders while reducing their impact. She added that the centre also seeks to raise awareness of mental health within society, noting that mental illness was previously considered a social stigma in many families across Gulf and Arab communities, but this perception is now changing as awareness increases and more people seek professional psychological support.

Promoting awareness and reducing stigma

Al Ali pointed out that the centre offers an integrated range of specialised services, including psychotherapy using scientifically approved methods tailored to each case, as well as counselling and psychological support. It also helps beneficiaries cope with psychological and social pressures and improve their quality of life.

The centre develops and implements treatment plans, monitors patients regularly, and evaluates the effectiveness of programmes on an ongoing basis. It also provides psychological and social support programmes for families, helping create a supportive environment for recovery.

Comprehensive specialised services

The centre also implements prevention, awareness, and education programmes in mental health, promoting a culture of psychological balance in society, while coordinating with relevant entities to ensure integrated services.

It treats a number of common mental disorders, including bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Eligibility and beneficiary groups

Currently operating from the Elderly Care Home affiliated with the department as a temporary location, the centre serves three main groups: individuals with mental disorders, patients referred by specialised medical entities in the UAE, and families benefiting from support and counselling programmes.

Sharjah Social Services Department has set conditions for benefiting from Etizan’s services, including that the applicant must be a UAE national, a permanent resident of Sharjah, under the age of 60, and in need of mental health services, supported by an approved medical report from relevant authorities.