IDRAAC (Institute For Development Research Advocacy And Applied Care)

IDRAAC is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was officially founded by experts in the field of mental health in 1997.
IDRAAC members have been conducting research since 1982. At that time, there was no data on mental health disorders in Lebanon, nor any available assessment tools to assess the prevalence of these disorders (on a large scale). Above all, the Lebanese wars had been ravaging the country for five years and there was little knowledge about their effect on the mental health of the population.IDRAAC’s mission is to promote research in mental health, to increase public awareness, and to participate in the improvement of training and educational programs in mental health.
IDRAAC’s objectives are to:
• Increase public awareness on mental health• Offer individuals and communities the means of identifying, dealing with and overcoming mental disorders• Implement community intervention programs addressing various aspects of mental health• Reach out to policy makers to address mental health on the national level• Conduct and promote research in mental health on national, regional and international levels• Develop and adapt suitable instruments for research in Lebanon and the Arab region• Train professionals in the practice and research of mental health
IDRAAC's members have been involved in many national and international studies, targeting different segments of the population (children, adolescents, adults, orphans, university students, patients, general community…) and assessing different types of mental health conditions, (including depression, anxiety disorders, suicidality, substance use, ADHD, etc).