About eating disorders
Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating are serious and treatable. Care is usually multidisciplinary: psychological therapy, medical follow-up and nutritional support. If there is significant weight loss or physical symptoms, seek medical attention promptly.
Therapist is the everyday word for a professional who offers talking therapy: depending on the country it can be a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a licensed counsellor, a marriage and family therapist or a clinical social worker. Profiles show each therapist’s actual title, training and registration.
Getting mental health care in Qatar
Public health system · Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Mental Health Service
PHCC health centres treat mild to moderate problems such as depression and anxiety, and no referral is needed: you book with a physician at any health centre, who can refer you to a psychology support clinic. HMC's Mental Health Service provides specialist inpatient, outpatient and community care on referral from a doctor or other accredited professional, usually with an appointment within two weeks. Sidra Medicine serves children, adolescents and perinatal patients on referral. More information
How to check that a professional is licensed
- Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP), Ministry of Public Health. DHP licenses physicians and allied health practitioners, including clinical psychologists, who practise under a defined scope of practice. You can check a practitioner by name or licence number in DHP's public register. Search the official register
Urgent help in Qatar
If your life or someone else's is in danger, call the emergency number now. These services can help at any time:
Information reviewed in November 2026 · Sources: sehanafsia.moph.gov.qa, dhp.moph.gov.qa
Signs to look out for
Concern about food or weight becomes worrying when it takes up a lot of thought and affects daily life: strict dieting or skipping meals, episodes of eating large amounts with loss of control, vomiting or using laxatives or excessive exercise to compensate, rapid weight changes, avoiding eating in front of others, or intense fear of gaining weight. Eating disorders affect people of all sizes, genders and ages.
What helps: treatments and professionals
Eating disorders are best treated by a team that combines psychological, medical and nutritional care. Approaches with good evidence include enhanced cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT-E), family-based treatment for children and adolescents, and specialist supportive clinical management. Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors and dietitians with eating disorder experience usually work together. Early help tends to make recovery easier.
When to seek urgent help
Eating disorders can have serious physical effects. Contact your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department for fainting, chest pain, a very slow or irregular heartbeat, severe weakness, confusion, vomiting blood, or if someone is unable to eat or drink at all. Seek urgent help too for thoughts of suicide. Regular medical check-ups are important during treatment.
What you can do in the meantime
Try to eat regular meals and avoid long periods without food, even if it feels hard. Reduce exposure to content that promotes dieting or body comparison, and avoid weighing yourself frequently. Tell someone you trust. If you are supporting someone, express concern calmly, focusing on feelings rather than food or weight, and encourage them to seek professional help.
What does a therapist do?
A therapist helps you talk through what is worrying you and find practical ways to feel and cope better. In sessions they listen, ask questions, help you notice patterns in your thoughts, emotions and relationships, and agree goals with you. Depending on their training they may use cognitive-behavioural, humanistic, systemic, psychodynamic or other evidence-based approaches, with individuals, couples, families or groups.
When to see a therapist
It makes sense to look for a therapist when stress, anxiety, low mood, grief, relationship problems, a difficult change or the effects of past experiences start to weigh on your daily life, or when you simply want space to understand yourself better. If symptoms are severe, you may need medication or there are signs of a medical cause, involve your doctor or a psychiatrist as well.
How to choose
When choosing, check the licence and training, the approach they use and whether they have experience with what you need. Consider practical aspects too: language, price, location or online sessions and availability. The relationship with the professional matters a great deal; if after a few sessions it does not feel right, it is fine to change.
Frequently asked questions
Does the public health system in Qatar cover psychological care?
PHCC health centres treat mild to moderate problems such as depression and anxiety, and no referral is needed: you book with a physician at any health centre, who can refer you to a psychology support clinic. HMC's Mental Health Service provides specialist inpatient, outpatient and community care on referral from a doctor or other accredited professional, usually with an appointment within two weeks. Sidra Medicine serves children, adolescents and perinatal patients on referral.
How do I check that a therapist is licensed in Qatar?
Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP), Ministry of Public Health: DHP licenses physicians and allied health practitioners, including clinical psychologists, who practise under a defined scope of practice. You can check a practitioner by name or licence number in DHP's public register.