Consultant Psychiatrist · Addiction Medicine · Founder, Psyter

Reading the signal in the noise of the human mind — and building the systems that scale it.

I practice clinical psychiatry at King Saud University Medical City and build the digital infrastructure — Psyter — that gets mental health care to people who have none. Twenty years across the clinic, the classroom, and the WHO's largest mental health survey of the Kingdom.

Practice
20+years in clinical psychiatry & addiction medicine
Featured
Arab Newson Saudi Arabia's mental health shift & Psyter's role in it
Credential
EMBAHult International Business School, Dubai
Built
Psyterdigital mental health platform, founder
Dr. Majid Al Desouki
About

A clinician's discipline, a builder's instinct.

Dr. Majid Al Desouki is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine Specialist at King Saud University Medical City, where he heads the Psychiatry Residency Program, the Adult Psychiatry Unit, and the Mortality and Morbidity Committee. He trained at the University of British Columbia in Mood Disorders and Addiction Medicine, holds top scores on both the Arab Board and the Saudi Board, and is certified by the International Society of Addiction Medicine.

Alongside the clinic, he founded Psyter, a digital mental health platform built to close the distance — literal and cultural — between people and psychiatric care in the region, including AI-agent workflows built into the platform to triage and route patients faster. He has advised SCFHS, SMC, GDNC, and CHI, served as co-investigator with the WHO and UNICEF on the Saudi National Mental Health Survey, and sits as Vice Chairman of Nafsiaty Society. His clinical caseload includes executives, founders, and public figures who require both clinical rigor and discretion.

Current Roles

Where the responsibility sits

KSU MEDICAL CITY
Head, Psychiatry Residency Program
KSU MEDICAL CITY
Head, Adult Psychiatry Unit
KSU MEDICAL CITY
Head, Mortality & Morbidity Committee
KSU MEDICAL CITY
Clinical Assistant Professor Teaching faculty — residents & medical students, Psychiatry Department
PSYTER
Founder Digital mental health booking & care platform
NAFSIATY SOCIETY
Vice Chairman
ADVISORY
SCFHS · SMC · GDNC · CHI Advisory and consulting engagements
WHO / UNICEF
Co-Investigator, Saudi National Mental Health Survey
Trajectory

Two decades, one throughline

RESIDENCY
Psychiatry Residency, Prince Sultan Military Medical City
FELLOWSHIP · UBC
Clinical Fellow, Addiction Psychiatry & Concurrent Disorders
Fellowship in Mood Disorders and Addiction Medicine, University of British Columbia — including exposure to the Bell Canada youth mental health initiative.
BOARD CERTIFICATION
Arab Board & Saudi Board — top scores
KSU MEDICAL CITY
Consultant, Adult Psychiatry & Addiction Medicine
Grew into department leadership: residency program, adult psychiatry unit, and mortality & morbidity committee.
WHO WMH SURVEY
Co-Investigator, Saudi National Mental Health Survey
Part of the WHO World Mental Health Survey Initiative, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School and the Saudi Ministry of Health.
EMBA
Executive MBA, Hult International Business School, Dubai
PRESENT
Founder, Psyter — building digital mental health infrastructure
In The Field

Building in public, not just publishing

2025
Arab News — Saudi Arabia's Mental Health Revolution
Featured on the shift in Saudi attitudes toward mental health, and the role of platforms like Psyter in closing the access gap.
Read the feature →
TALK
Psyter Discussions — Founder Conversation
On-record conversation on building Psyter and the future of accessible mental health care in the region.
Watch on LinkedIn →
On record as co-author — 6 collaborative papers, 450+ citations Google Scholar →
2020Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey — Int J Methods Psychiatr Res, 29(3):e1836 · 109 citations
2020Twelve-month prevalence and severity of mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey — Int J Methods Psychiatr Res, 29(3):e1831 · 88 citations
2020Clinical reappraisal of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Version 3.0 in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey — Int J Methods Psychiatr Res, 29(3):e1828 · 34 citations
2014Online interventions for depression and anxiety — a systematic review — Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 2(1):841–881 · 181 citations
2013The Burnaby treatment centre for mental health and addiction — a novel integrated treatment program for patients with addiction and concurrent disorders — BMC Health Services Research, 13(1):288 · 38 citations
Is exposure to childhood maltreatment associated with adult psychological distress among adult intravenous drug users? — Mental Health and Substance Use, 7(3):207–216

Book a session

Arabic & English · via Psyter

Contact

Open to the right rooms

Open to speaking engagements, advisory roles, research collaborations, and strategic partnerships in digital health and mental health innovation.