Psychiatric services in Bahrain: past, present and future

The Kingdom of Bahrain is an archipelago of 33 islands, located in the Arabian Gulf, covering 2400 km². The main island, Manama, is the nation's capital. The total population stands at 742 562, 62.3% of whom are local Bahrainis and the remaining 37.7% expatriates (Central Statistics Organisation Directorate, 1991). Bahrain first entered the historical stage around 3000 BC, and for almost 2000 years was the centre of the old Dilmun civilisation (Bibby, 1969). Dilmun was perceived as a sacred land by the Sumerians and Babylonians; it was a burial ground for their dead, and Bahrain has over 100 000 burial mounds each containing 200-250 bodies. In the old Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, which antedates Homer's Iliad, Dilmun is described as a paradise where the worthy enjoy eternal life (Clarke, 1981).