The burden and determinants of mental health disorders in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: a retrospective cohort.

BACKGROUND

Assessing the burden of mental health disorders is critical for planning the best healthcare services and responding to community needs. This study aimed to assess the mental health burden in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and its important determinants.

METHODOLOGY: This retrospective cohort study included participants from a national cardiovascular screening program (Weqaya) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 2010 to 2013. The data were collected through electronic medical records (EMRs). A total of 8699 subjects were included, with an average follow-up period of 9.2 years. Participants' EMRs were reviewed in 2023 by physicians and nurses through electronic medical records for a diagnosis of mental health disorders or any psychiatric medication prescribed.

RESULTS

The prevalence of mental health disorders among this cohort was 3.8%. Compared with males, females had a greater prevalence of mental illnesses. The highest prevalence of mental health disorders was among younger age groups (< 30 years old). Mood disorders had the highest prevalence. A history of psychiatric illnesses was significantly associated with the following baseline characteristics at screening: prediabetes mellitus status, smoking status, coronary heart disease status, dyslipidemia at screening, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level and female sex. With regard to associated outcomes during the follow-up years, psychiatric illness was significantly associated with smoking at any time, chronic kidney disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MUFLD), and diabetes mellitus. Moreover, logistic regression revealed that death, as a dependent variable, was associated with an increased risk of mortality. Such an increase in mortality compared with that in the general population was not found among patients with psychiatric illnesses who were using statins.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of diagnosed and treated mental health disorders was not as high as that in other regions of the world, but when adjusted for age, it was close to the average worldwide prevalence. The discrepancy between questionnaire-based prevalence and our prevalence highlights the mental health burden that necessitates further studies. Furthermore, more studies are needed to estimate the prevalence in the total population of the UAE. The higher risk of mortality found in this study indicates that mental illness is either a risk factor for death or an outcome of higher-risk patients, which also needs to be confirmed by future studies.