In the absence of a law or legislation that protects them and preserves their rights
Psychiatric patients in the country suffer from exploitation by their families and spouses
Specialists reported that a number of psychiatric patients are subjected to exploitation by the people closest to them and those around them, in various ways, robbing them of their rights and money, and sometimes their family stability, in the absence of an explicit article or text in the law that safeguards the rights of mental patients and protects them from all forms of exploitation.
They pointed out that many psychiatric patients suffer from the inability to pay the harm on their own, despite their treatment, the stability of their health conditions, and their ability to manage their affairs and take the right decisions, but the stigma of the disease haunts them and robs them of their will and their natural rights.
The specialists unanimously agreed on the importance of a special law that protects the rights of psychiatric patients and guarantees the preservation of their money and property, stressing the need to correct misconceptions, which were reinforced by the media, and established a negative image of psychiatric patients, and established the concept of their inability to make their own decisions, which has been entrenched in the minds of many. A mental image of a shaky character belonging to others.
They explained that mental illnesses are different categories and types, and some respond to treatment, and they can manage their personal matters on their own, without the need for guardianship from anyone, calling for the issuance of legislation that protects the rights of mentally ill patients, and prevents the exploitation of the conditions of their illness, to achieve personal interests.
A member of the Health Affairs, Labor and Social Affairs Committee in the Federal National Council, Salem Al-Nar Al-Shehhi, confirmed that the committee had previously adopted recommendations related to the issuance of the mental health law, in order to preserve the rights of mental patients, which religion warned against unjustly.
In detail, the citizen (A.A. A.) said that he suffers from a mental illness, which doctors diagnosed as "bipolar" disorder, which makes him suffer severe mood swings, but by continuing to take medications and psychotherapy, he was able to control the emotions of the disease, which did not prevent him. He completed his secondary education and is currently working in a government department.
He added that after the death of his father and the distribution of the inheritance, the rest of his brothers sought to obtain legal guardianship over him from the court, arguing that he was not qualified to manage the money he owned, and could not maintain it, in addition to that his mental illness made him vulnerable to financial exploitation by others, which He enabled them to convince the concerned authorities of this justification, and to obtain legal guardianship over the management of his money, despite the fact that he is 20 years old, and his health condition is stable.
The young man explained that the questions that were directed to him by the medical committee that evaluated him, made him appear confused, which made his position seem weak before the judge, and led to the issuance of a ruling to place him under guardianship, wondering, “Does the mentally ill patient not have the right to have freedom, and the right to make decisions in the matters of his life? different?
Despite the availability of feasible medical treatment, which in some cases leads to psychological stability.”
And (Um Ahmed), from the Emirate of Fujairah, who told the story of one of her neighbors, agreed with him, saying, “My neighbor was the wife of a man who had schizophrenia, which makes him suffer from a disorder of thinking and behavior, but his health condition was stable, because of his persistence in the treatment prescribed by doctors. Specialists, and calm and friendliness prevailed in his marital life, before the wife was affected by the words of her friend, and the negative society's view of her husband's illness, which prompted her to ask for a divorce from him. What prompted the wife to go to the treating psychiatrist, and asked him for the medical report on her husband’s condition, after she presented her official documents that prove that she is the patient’s wife, and she needs the report in order to present it to a specialist, so the doctor only gave her a medical report Detailed and approved, after the wife’s insistence, and according to the medical report, she obtained a judgment ordering her to divorce her on the grounds of harm.”
(Um Ahmed) demanded the necessity of enacting legislation or a law that preserves all the rights of psychiatric patients, and gives them the freedom to make decisions related to their lives, away from exploitation, in all its forms, especially the cases that have received treatment and have reached the stage of stability.
The citizen (Shamma Muhammad) stated that her aunt contracted schizophrenia, the symptoms of which appeared in neglecting her appearance and her children, and entered a psychiatric clinic, responded to treatment, and her psychological condition stabilized, and she left the clinic after four years as a normal human being, psychologically and behaviorally, but she was surprised by the children's rejection of her attempts to Communicating with them, because of their father who divorced her, and warned them of the danger of communicating with her, and his constant assertion that she is not normal, taking advantage of her mental illness to gain custody of his children.
"Emirates Today" - in one of the media coverage of the distribution of housing for citizens in the Emirate of Fujairah - monitored a citizen who urgently demands officials in the housing program to grant his brother with mental illness a financial grant to create a popular housing, and claims that his brother has a disability, and at that time the official replied "not to allocate A housing grant for his brother, as he is not married, and I strongly refused to classify him as a psychiatric patient in the category of people with disabilities.
For his part, the psychiatrist at Fujairah Hospital, Dr. Najdat Khalouf, defined the mental patient as “the person who lacks the ability to realize his own potential, adapt to normal stress situations, work productively and usefully, and contribute to his local community.” , or feel hatred for himself, or his inability to solve the social problems he is going through, and he may reach a high degree of despair and the desire for death, or disorders of behavior, thinking or perception,” adding, “The criteria for diagnosing mental illness have changed over time, and until now there are Some differences in the criteria for diagnosing and accurately classifying mental disorders.
He pointed out that mental illnesses are different categories and types, and there is a significant percentage of the world’s population who have been exposed to a type of mental illness at a certain stage in their lives, as we learned, according to the World Health Organization website, that estimates indicate that about 20% of children and adolescents in the world have Psychological disorders or problems, and people with mental illness can receive treatment in psychiatric hospitals, or in outpatient clinics, and many of them reach the stage of stability that enables them to lead their lives normally.
Khalouf indicated, "With regard to mental disorders, there are some cases that affect the patient's trial, and may make him vulnerable to exploitation, so he needs someone to take care of his affairs, and the judiciary is the body authorized to grant guardianship to the patient, which decides to evaluate him by the competent medical committees."
For his part, a member of the Health Affairs, Labor and Social Affairs Committee of the Federal National Council, Salem Al-Nar Al-Shehhi, said that among the set of recommendations adopted by the committee last February, work to issue a mental health law, in order to preserve the rights of psychiatric patients and workers in the field of psychiatry.
Al-Shehhi criticized the role of the media and television series in showing the negative image of the mentally ill, as incapable of making his decisions, "which has entrenched in the minds of many the shaky and dependent personality of others."
While the head of the social service department at the Wahat Al-Rushd House, which is affiliated with the Department of Social Services in Sharjah, Khaled Al-Abdouli, said that despite the absence of a law or legislation that preserves the rights of mental patients, the services provided by the department to shelter cases of mental patients contribute significantly to preserving their rights. In a manner that guarantees them a decent life, he continued, “In the event that a psychological patient is subjected to financial exploitation, or mismanagement of his money by his family, the department works, after ensuring the validity of the order, to stop this type of exploitation, through its communication with the court, and obtaining guardianship, according to a procedure legal, and with the consent of the patient’s family.
He pointed out that psychiatric patients who have reached the stage of stability after receiving appropriate treatment, the department trains and rehabilitates them to manage their money, in order to preserve their rights and property, as they are the most capable of that, stressing that this category of patients is able to identify and take important decisions in their lives, Such as marriage, work and other matters related to her interests.
For his part, lawyer Ibrahim Al-Hosani said that "there was no law or an explicit article related to mental patients, related to the incompetent and the incompetent."
He explained that one of the articles of the Federal Personal Status Law No. (28) of 2005 states that “it is not permissible for the guardian to dispose of the property of a minor in a manner that transfers his ownership or establishes a right in rem on him except with the permission of the court, and that is for a necessity or an apparent interest assessed by the court.”
Al-Hosani added, “The state also legislated Law No. (29) of 2006, regarding the rights of people with special needs. sensory, mental, communicative, educational or psychological to the extent that it reduces the possibility of meeting his normal requirements in the conditions of his peers without special needs).
He pointed out that at the same time, this law guaranteed the rights of the person with disabilities, provided all services to him, non-discrimination, treating him in a humane manner, providing him with appropriate assistance, exercising his right to express and expressing opinion, the necessary protection for his correspondence, medical records, and personal matters, and rehabilitating and exempting him from Judicial fees, transportation licensing, the right to education and health services.
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