Global
While mental health concerns have received increased awareness in some post-conflict locations, there has been an inclination to implicitly assume that the impact of trauma caused by mass violence may be transitory and non-disabling and that involvements in the emergency stage are adequate. However, there have been doubts cast on both presumptions by a small but expanding body of research on factors affecting mental health and effective treatment in post-conflict settings. Recent research indicates amongst displaced populations and refugees, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and major depression are chronic and prevalent. The impact of trauma as research also shows can be long term and often intergenerational. Following their traumatic experience, child survivors of the Nazi holocaust and Japanese concentration camps were found to experience PTSD symptoms as late as 40-50 years of age. Studies on Nazi Holocaust and Cambodian Pol Pot survivors show that their children and their children’s children are also affected by the psychosocial impact of conflict.
Countries that have suffered from enduring conflict such as Somalia have the highest prevalence of mental illness in the world, according to a study run by the World Health Organization (WHO). For example, one in three Somalis are suffering from psychological conditions, but this extremely high statistic is staunchly juxtaposed by the sheer lack of resources needed for mental health in the nation. The country is unable to deliver the most basic of care to those in need – many of whom are chained to hospital beds, isolated or even jailed. All the violence and killings which are currently taking place in Somalia could be the manifestation of a broader crisis. There are concerns that the magnitude of unaddressed mental health issues, is so large it may be contributing to the country’s instability. Therefore the link between individuals who experience conflict-related trauma and go on to commit further acts of violence must not be ignored.
Poor mental health is also a crucial element of radicalization and violence, from a security standpoint. Individuals become vulnerable to radicalization and violent extremism when they have no way to deal with the trauma they have encountered. Furthermore, mentally ill people who are already susceptible to delusions, are usually preyed upon in much of the recruitment in extremism. Going back to Somalia, the mental health crisis has the capacity to negatively impact regional and international security, if left unaddressed. Even if structures can be rebuilt, they will not stand for long if the wellbeing of individuals in society is ignored.
On the contrary, Japan, despite constantly being ranked as one of the most peaceful countries in the world, also has a severe mental health crisis and long battled one of the highest suicide rates in the industrialized world. In Japan, isolation is the number one precursor for depression and suicides says Wataru Nishida, a psychologist at Tokyo’s Temple University. Japan is famous for a condition called ‘hikikomori’, a type of social withdrawal. It was first familiarized to refer to young people in the 1990s with disdain of social norms around obtaining an education and pursuing a career by displaying extreme, long‐term social withdrawal. Population prevalence data indicate that it is an important public health issue, although it is currently viewed as a sociocultural mental health phenomenon rather than a standard mental illness.
We have also discovered that conflicts can be a catalyst for building quality mental health services when the political will exists. For example, before the conflict in Syria, outside of the mental hospitals in Aleppo and Damascus, there was limited mental health care. Now, mental health and psychosocial support have been introduced in primary and secondary health facilities, in community and women’s centres, and in school-based programmes, thanks to an increased response to the need for help. In fact, it’s fairly reasonable to say that some of the greatest progress in mental health have been made after emergencies if one looks at the global landscape of mental health service developments over the last 20 years.
It is difficult to describe the mental suffering you see when you go to a war zone and you meet people affected by conflict or war. Sometimes you think it can’t get any worse. And then you go to another conflict situation and it is worse, another kind of hell.
Key Facts
8 million
Deaths each year
1 billion
People with a mental disorder
2%
Spent on mental health budget
What is Mental Health?
Mental health consists of our emotional, social and psychological well-being. It influences how we feel, act and think. It also helps regulate how we make choices, handle stress and relate to others. From childhood and adolescence through to adulthood, mental health is vital at every period of our lives. Family history of mental health problems and life experiences such as trauma or abuse are some of the many factors that contribute to mental health problems as well as biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry.
To what extent are Mental Health issues impacting people on a global scale?
Worldwide Mental Health conditions are increasing. The disparity between people needing care and those with access to care, remains considerably large, even though many mental health conditions can be efficiently treated at a reasonably low cost. Depression and anxiety which are two of the most frequent mental health problems, cost the global economy $1 trillion each year. In Spite of this figure, the global average of government healthcare expenditure that goes towards mental health is less than 2%.
How does conflict affect Mental Health?
The risk of Mental Health conditions is exacerbated by emergency situations such as humanitarian crisis, natural disasters and armed conflicts. Some form of distress will be felt by most people affected by conflict distress (e.g. difficulty sleeping, fatigue, hopelessness, irritability or anger and/or aches and pains, feelings of anxiety and sadness). In a humanitarian crisis, the prevalence of common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety is expected to more than double. Among people who have experienced war or another conflict in the previous 10 years, WHO’s review of 129 studies in 39 countries showed that one in five people (22%) will have depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
Other statistics
- 1 in 5 people affected by conflict is estimated to have a mental health condition
- Mental Health conditions affect 20% of the world’s children and adolescents
- The mortality rate of those with mental disorders is significantly higher than the general population, with a median life expectancy loss of 10.1 years.
The Key Actors
To improve the mental health of individuals and society at large, WHO works with Member States and partners. This involves efforts to expand access to mental health care that recognizes people’s human rights, the prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental well-being. In 2019, WHO launched the WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health (2019-2023): Universal Health Coverage for Mental Health to ensure access to quality and affordable care for mental health conditions in 12 priority countries to 100 million more people.
Technical advice on mental health in emergency situations is received by the WHO. Since 2019 WHO is working on mental health in a variety of different countries and regions affected by large-scale emergencies such as the Syrian Arab Republic, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Iraq , Lebanon, Turkey, West Bank and Gaza Strip, Jordan, and South Sudan.
The mental health and psychosocial well-being of a person can be considerably affected by the experience of a conflict. For individuals, families and communities it can have short term as well as long-term impacts. With involvement from UN agencies, NGOs and Universities, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Emergency Settings were established. The guidelines help to plan, establish and coordinate a set of minimum multi-sectoral responses to protect, support and improve people’s mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in the midst of a conflict or emergency.
Established in Italy in 1968 GRT is a non-governmental organization whose core areas of expertise are whose interventions focus on Community Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Protection (SGBV- Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Street Children), support to ethnic minorities and (forced) Migrations. With the eventual goal of implementing transcultural intervention among continents, GRT promotes international collaboration in Africa, South America, Asia and Europe because they believe that variations among cultures is a major factor in promoting peace, stability and human wellbeing. Towards the most vulnerable groups within the countries in which it operates GRT has been delivering a vital and practical intervention outlook and actual psychosocial support, Since 1968. Members who are involved in promoting social justices in the world are the main founders of the organization comprising anthropologists, teachers, social workers ,doctors and psychologists among others. This vision is mirrored in the implementation approach promoted by GRT: taking into account local available resources, empowering local staff and experts, promoting education and training to enhance local sustainability and project ownership. Identifying resources, knowledge and traditions which are culturally accessible and collectively accepted by working with and through local communities is some of the added benefits of their action.
Mental Health Europe is a European non-governmental network organisation dedicated to the improvement of care, advocacy for social inclusion and the protection of the rights of (ex)users of mental health services, people with psychosocial disabilities, the promotion of positive mental health and the prevention of mental distress. To conventionalize mental health in all policies and end mental health stigma, MHE works closely with the European Institutions and international bodies. Including users of mental health services, volunteers, service providers and professionals, Mental Health Europe represents associations and individuals in the field of mental health. MHE creates proposals for policy makers to expand mental health friendly policies together with its members. To ensure the voice of people who have experienced mental ill health is heard across Europe, MHE places users of mental services at the centre of its work.
The PTSD Alliance is there to help support people for this treatable disorder by finding the right resources and treatment for them. They offer information on eye-opening statistics, what exactly PTSD is and who experiences it. Being that they are two experiences that commonly co-occur, they also offer facts and insights on PTSD and addiction.
Conflict-affected Countries have witnessed increasing levels of mental health conditions, particuarly amongst refugees, migrants and IDPs, particuarly, though not limited to, Somalia.
Somalia
Somalia is a country with a very rich culture of storytellers, poets, and nomads, however, stricken with an enormous amount of pain and trauma, the history of the state is troubled by the onset of a civil war in 1991. Used as methods of terrorizing the population into surrender, both murder and torture were widely practised. Many have either witnessed bloodshed with their own eyes, have close relatives/friends who have been affected or have had the first-hand experience themselves. Paying smugglers for entry into foreign lands, people fled on foot, frightened for their lives. This became the reason for an extraordinary refugee crisis in which entire regions were disturbed by the continuous violence from the conflict. Familiar to many others around the world who are forced to leave behind their lives and look for a safe haven thousands of miles away from home, in Europe and North America, Somali immigrants are forced to cope with cultural and economic struggles. Despite that shared pain, the mental health in those Somali communities goes largely unaddressed. Case studies of Somalis who have migrated to the diaspora have highlighted the tragic prevalence of suppressed memories of traumatic events, that re-emerge through bouts of depression, PTSD, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
Yemen
The persistent psychological trauma suffered by the victims in Yemen is concealed by the characterization of its continuous state of war in which not much improvement is made on either side. The shared remembrance of brutality will undergo well into the post-conflict future, whenever this war ends in Yemen. Instead of trying to bury the reality of the violence as a lived experience, for the Yemeni society to truly recover from the bloodshed, there must be a cooperative system for processing trauma, that starts off with recognizing it. Conflict is the norm for those living in the shadows of a previous war, particularly children who are too young to have ever faced peacetime. Society must become normalized to peace to escape the memory of the violence that surrounded them.
The Situation
Classification:
- (Mental) Health Crisis
Analyst’s suggestions:
- Coming soon
Similar Crises:
- Coming soon
Worsening
Worldwide Mental Health conditions are increasing. The disparity between people needing care and those with access to care, remains considerably large, even though many mental health conditions can be efficiently treated at a reasonably low cost. Depression and anxiety which are two of the most frequent mental health problems, cost the global economy $1 trillion each year. In Spite of this figure, the global average of government healthcare expenditure that goes towards mental health is less than 2%.
Timeline of Events
Cultural bereavement, a term coined by Eisenbruch describes feelings of guilt from abandoning native values. As a result of conflict, natural disasters, and subsequent displacement many throughout history have suffered from the effects that conflict has on the Mental Health of a population by witnessing the demolition of a social world embodying their identity, living values and history. In the 1980s, for example, Guatemalan Mayans suffered when they’ve had 440 of their villages eradicated and 70,000 civilians slaughtered. Land and maize are directly linked to the identity and myths of the Mayans. Those who have survived feel as though their collective body has been harmed, one which also comprises of their ancestors gathered across generations, domestic animals and trees. For them crops was the symbol which most fully represented them as the people of maize, so when the army decided to burn them, it wasn’t just an act of violence on their food supplies —it was genocide. Social reform has been demonstrated to be the most effective medicine throughout history. There has been a push to ‘westernise medical practices and invest in health services, though this has not been equally applied throughout the globe.
24th August 2020: Nightmares, flashbacks, fatigue: Beirut faces mental health crisis after blast
More than 217 people were killed and 7,000 injured when 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port on 4 August 2020. The blast displaced 300,000 people and caused widespread destruction and devastation, damaging buildings up to 20km away. The blast caught Beirut at an extremely vulnerable point following months of severe economic crisis compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
Health experts in Lebanon are warning of a national mental health emergency as people begin to show signs of trauma from the explosion, including nightmares, flashbacks, crying, anxiety, anger and exhaustion. Psychologists say this is being exacerbated by the constant stream of images on Lebanese TV and social media showing the blast and its bloody aftermath.
27th December 2020: Covid poses ‘greatest threat to mental health since second world war’
The coronavirus crisis poses the greatest threat to mental health since the second world war, with the impact to be felt for years after the virus has been brought under control, the Britain’s leading psychiatrist has said.
Dr Adrian James, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said a combination of the disease, its social consequences and the economic fallout were having a profound effect on mental health that would continue long after the epidemic is reined in. As many as 10 million people in the UK, including 1.5 million children, are thought to need new or additional mental health support as a direct result of the crisis.
15th May 2021: Children in Gaza experience trauma unlike anywhere else in the world, experts say
A 2020 study published in the journal “Frontiers in Psychiatry” found that among Palestinian children and adolescents in the Gaza Strip, nearly 90% had experienced personal trauma and more than 80% had witnessed trauma to others. In Gaza, it is virtually impossible, experts say, for children to access mental health care. It’s that utter sense of and inability to do anything about it that makes the impact of it far worse.
August 1977: Study highlights psychological effects of war in South Vietnam
Psychological disturbance, measured by Macmillan’s Health Opinion Survey, was assessed among 102 evacuees from a battlefront in South Vietnam. Through comparative analysis with other groups in Vietnam and elsewhere, it is shown that the evacuees display a higher level of emotional disturbance than any group to whom they can be compared except for a sample of Vietnamese prisoners of war. The levels of disturbance exhibited by the evacuees are in turn correlated with indicators of various kinds and combinations of war stress. It is suggested that women who were bereft of a husband or son and who experienced economic reverses were especially vulnerable.
January 1986: Psychological Effects of the Threat of Nuclear War
Systematic studies indicate the prevailing harmful psychological effect of the threat of nuclear war. The most recent surveys have identified populations which are particularly vulnerable. Anxiety was found to be a factor in criminal behaviour, and the threat of nuclear war to be a factor in anxiety itself. Many studies have focused on children, finding that anxiety about social issues is high, but that cynicism and apathy set in rapidly.
April 1998: PTSD in Survivors of Rwanda’s 1994 War
According to a 1998 survey, cases of PTSD are highest in Rwanda, particularly among survivors of the genocide. its prevalence may approach 20% in the adult population-much higher than in other war-torn countries. The sudden trauma associated with the persistence of unpredictable threats four years after the “end” of the war (a period now commonly known as “the insecurity” in Rwanda) have caused an epidemic of PTSD and related psychiatric disorders.
October 2006: Mental health services in Iraq: past, present and future
Ongoing violence and poor security in Iraq, coupled with bureaucracy and political instability, have hindered community-based mental health services. Progress has been very slow on developing an efficient and effective information system, in establishing performance management and in applying healthcare standards. The distribution of medicines and equipment, the movement of staff and the organising of training events remain high-risk activities.
March 2010: Sri Lanka struggles with mental health burden
Sri Lanka suffers from high rates of suicide (100,000 attempts every year) as a result of conflict but also by the devastating effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
September 2015: Refugees and mental health
The psychological and social stresses often experienced by refugees during migration can double the prevalence of severe disorders (psychosis, severe depression and disabling anxiety), and increase the figures of mild to moderate mental disorders from 10% to 15-20%, according to the World Health Organisation.
October 2019: Majority of Mental Health Problems in Conflict Zones and Other Emergencies Go Untreated: Survey
A survey finds more than one in five people in conflict-affected areas live with mental health condition ranging from depression and anxiety to post-traumatic stress.
Despite the growing problem, the International Committee of the Red Cross says mental health conditions among people subjected to war and violence are generally overlooked. It warns that hidden wounds will have long-term, even life-threatening impacts if left untreated.
9th June 2020: Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19 on Displaced and Migrant Populations
The COVID-19 pandemic is deeply affecting the mental health and well-being of people all over the world, including migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and internally displaced people. They disproportionally experience the impacts of the pandemic due to their weakened social support structures, bleak socio-economic prospects, unequal access to health care and social services, precarious housing, tenuous living and working conditions, vulnerability to misinformation and xenophobia, and risks of exploitation and abuse.
14th June 2020: Kashmir children facing COVID-19 mental health issues
300 child mental health cases reported in the region since the beginning of the pandemic. Battered by unending violence and in the grip of a deadly pandemic, children in Indian-administered Kashmir are facing growing mental health problems.
21st July 2020: Child mental health: The crisis at the edge of Europe
When COVID-19 reached Greece, more than 30,000 refugees and migrants were already held in appalling conditions in “reception centres” across the country. In March, when the Greek government then imposed restrictions on movement in response to COVID-19, people living in the camps were cut off inside these dangerously overcrowded and unsafe centres. Now that life outside has returned to normal for local people and tourists alike, these clearly discriminatory measures for asylum seekers and migrants continue to be extended every two weeks – despite there being zero cases of COVID-19 in the camps. The impact on the medical and mental health of men, women and children has been devastating.
29th July 2020: Report: African Refugees, Migrants Encounter Violence Along Sahara Migratory Route
The main threats for migrants crossing Libya include physical violence followed by detention, death, robberies and sexual violence. The report says the migrants and refugees who survive abuse en route to Europe are often left with severe mental health issues.
13th August 2020: CDC study sheds new light on mental health crisis linked to coronavirus pandemic
A new CDC survey found that almost 41% of respondents are struggling with mental health issues stemming from the pandemic — both related to the coronavirus pandemic itself and the measures put in place to contain it, including physical distancing and stay-at-home orders.
24th August 2020: Nightmares, flashbacks, fatigue: Beirut faces mental health crisis after blast
The blast caught Lebanon at an extremely vulnerable point following months of severe economic crisis compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
Now practitioners are warning of a national mental health emergency as people begin to show signs of trauma from the explosion, including nightmares, flashbacks, crying, anxiety, anger and exhaustion.
Psychologists say this is being exacerbated by the constant stream of images on Lebanese TV and social media showing the blast and its bloody aftermath.
9th September 2020: New Zealand mental health crisis as Covid stretches a struggling system
New Zealanders are experiencing more depression and anxiety since the coronavirus lockdown, doctors say, despite the country leading the world in its battle against the pandemic.
29th September 2020: Why treating trauma should be a cornerstone of building peace
They say time heals all wounds. It doesn’t. In most cases, without proper care and a supportive environment, mental wounds only worsen with time. But with adequate psychosocial support, people can start to regain resilience and perspective, giving them strength to rebuild their society. It is high time that psychosocial well-being of people and communities affected by conflict gets the international attention it deserves.
1st October 2020: The impact of the conflict in Afghanistan on civilian mental health
The impact of this violence on the population’s mental health is becoming shockingly clear. There has been a surge in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological conditions linked to armed conflict throughout the country, with the International Psychosocial Organisation (IPSO) estimating that 70% of Afghanistan’s 37 million people are in need of psychological support. Afghanistan has been called a ‘trauma state’; according to this theory, trauma caused by war fuels more war, in turn causing more trauma–and the cycle continues.
6th October 2020: Hundreds of thousands with mental health conditions being chained, says charity
Hundreds of thousands of people with mental health conditions in 60 countries are still being chained, according to a comprehensive and damning new study.
Human Rights Watch says that men, women and children – some as young as 10 – are regularly shackled or locked in confined spaces for weeks, months, and even years, across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.
12nd November 2020: Improving Mental Health for Victims of Colombia’s Conflict
Although Colombia’s ongoing 50-year conflict has decreased in intensity, raised levels of mental health problems continue to afflict the lives of survivors. Those displaced by the conflict are exposed to economic and physical stressors in unfamiliar places, and mental health services are underinvested and unequally distributed in rural areas. Many organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme, War Child and Mercy Corps are providing psychological support to victims of Colombia’s conflict so they can rebuild their lives and reach their full potential.
19th November 2020: Children’s prolonged exposure to the toxic stress of war trauma in the Middle East
Violent political conflict has had a devastating effect on the physical and mental health of children in the Middle East. Many have been killed or injured. Many have been displaced, including 2.5 million Syrian child refugees. Conversely, Palestinian children under blockade in the Gaza Strip cannot escape even to relative safety.
19th December 2020: Alarming mental health distress among asylum seekers on Greek islands
Four months after the fire that destroyed Moria and despite promises from the EU that there will never be another Moria, more than 15,000 women, men and children are still trapped ahead of winter in unsafe and humiliating conditions on Greece’s islands. As the European policy to contain people on the islands continues, MSF’s mental health teams in Lesbos and Samos have continued to observe concerning levels of mental health distress among patients.
27th December 2020: Covid poses ‘greatest threat to mental health since second world war’
The coronavirus crisis poses the greatest threat to mental health since the second world war, with the impact to be felt for years after the virus has been brought under control, the country’s leading psychiatrist has said.
Dr Adrian James, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said a combination of the disease, its social consequences and the economic fallout were having a profound effect on mental health that would continue long after the epidemic is reined in. As many as 10 million people, including 1.5 million children, are thought to need new or additional mental health support as a direct result of the crisis.
6th January 2021: Mental health crisis worsened by armed conflict and mass displacement in the Sahel
MSF teams are treating an increasing number of patients for psychological disorders and trauma-related mental health needs during our emergency interventions after attacks, including among children. There is a huge demand for psychological care but not enough providers. Most of the countries in the region do not have trained psychologists, psychiatrists, or psychiatric nurses, so MSF has incorporated mental health care into our projects across Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Nigeria.
21st January 2021: Donors can change attitudes toward aid worker mental health
The emotional well-being of aid workers and advocates is still not prioritized by employers — but donors could play a key role in changing this, according to Leyla Hussein, a psychotherapist and campaigner against female genital mutilation.
4th February 2021: Crime, conflict, chaos crushing Afghan hopes for tomorrow
The violence is taking its toll on Afghans’ mental health, said psychologist Sharafuddin Azimi, who estimated tens of thousands of Afghans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
His practice has increased each year, and he said many of his clients are in deep depression, without hope for tomorrow and fearful of death at any time.
12th February 2021: Yemen: Mental health and psychosocial support
The population in Yemen has been enduring more than a decade of internal disturbance and armed conflict. Living in such crisis/conflict setting can have a significant impact on the overall wellbeing of individuals and communities including mental health and psycho-social wellbeing with short-term and long-term consequences specifically on the vulnerable groups such as children, women, adolescent girls and elderly. In conflict settings people can be affected in many ways and might require complementary types of services at household, community and health facility levels. The mental health and psychosocial problems in emergencies are highly interconnected.
11th March 2021: Health care workers facing a mental health crisis
Nurses, doctors and others on the frontlines of the pandemic are facing a health crisis of their own, many feeling depressed, some considering therapy. The punishing work hours and the sadness and frustration of caring for critically ill COVID patients who die, despite their best efforts, has taken its toll on health care workers around the world.
21 March 2021: Yemen war: Generation of children grows up knowing only conflict
Many children born since 2015 have had fighting as the constant backdrop of their lives – and psychologists are worried about the long-term impact.
21st April 2021: Somalia implements ground-breaking project aimed at improving mental health
Somalia implements ground-breaking project aimed at improving psychosocial support and mental health care for young people affected by conflict through a socially-inclusive integrated approach for peace-building.
28th April 2021: The Silent Pandemic: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Children in Conflict Affected Countries
The mental health and wellbeing of children living in conflict-affected countries is dangerously deteriorating as they struggle to cope with the socio-economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having survived life-threatening, life-altering conflicts, their ongoing fear, trauma and chronic stress is compounded by the daily anxiety, uncertainty and hardship produced by the pandemic.
15th May 2021: Trauma children in Gaza experience is unlike anywhere else in the world, experts say
A 2020 study published in the journal “Frontiers in Psychiatry” found that among Palestinian children and adolescents in the Gaza Strip, nearly 90% had experienced personal trauma and more than 80% had witnessed trauma to others. In Gaza, it is virtually impossible, experts say, for children to access mental health care. “It’s that utter sense of and inability to do anything about it that makes the impact of it far worse,” Ghannam said.
25th May 2021: Sierra Leone: Government must address mental health crisis following civil war and Ebola epidemic – New Report
Survivors of traumatic experiences in Sierra Leone are being failed by the severe lack of mental health services available after the country’s brutal civil war and devastating Ebola epidemic, Amnesty International warned in a new report published today.
The report, ‘They Are Forgetting About Us’: The long-term mental health impact of war and Ebola in Sierra Leone, reveals how survivors are struggling with a range of symptoms of distress, including lasting grief. However, mental health services in the country fall far short of meeting people’s needs, due to multiple significant barriers including a lack of government spending, insufficient donor support, and a shortage of skilled mental health professionals.
12th June 2021: MSF offers mental health services in Mozambique crisis
In addition to being the poorest province in one of the poorest countries in the world, Mozambique’s Cabo Degaldo has been ravaged by conflict since 2017. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
29th June 2021: Israel’s siege and violence are damaging Palestinian children’s minds
Palestinian children in the gaza strip are being psychologically tortured. Growing up with periods of prolonged fear and abuse has devastating physical and mental consequences, and young people are suffering as a result.
Israel’s latest military offensive against the Palestinians in gaza inflicted lasting trauma on children, with noticeable behaviour changes due to what they witnessed during the bombing; not only the destruction but also the killing of entire families.
14th July 2021: Mental Health and the cost of war
The biden administration has pledged to have U.S forces out of Afghanistan later this year. Since 2001, 30,177 service members and veterans have died by suicide. That number is more than four times those who died at the hands of the enemy. The psychological trauma of years at war has contributed to an unprecedented mental challenge, impacting countless post 9/11 veterans and military-connected families.
26th July 2021: In Lebanon Mental Health medication shortages bring new source of distress
The series of crisis that have befallen Lebanon in less than two years, involving economic, Covid-19 as well a catastrophic explosion have now left those in the country who rely on medication to treat mental health conditions in a tenuous position, due to growing shortages of some essential goods.
17th August 2021: Mental Health concerns for Army veterans due to Afghanistan turmoil
The military’s recent exit from Afghanistan has had significant impact on the military personnel who served there for over years.
With images circulating of the situation in Afghanistan, the department of Veterans Affairs sent an email to veterans reminding them of available resources if they experience post traumatic stress disorder. According to the VA, there are several problems veterans can face when dealing with PTSD – among them are anger, depression substance abuse and suicide.
30th August 2021: Afghan refugees experience mental illness at higher rates than general population
The recent unrest in Afghanistan has left many refugees and immigrants across the globe shaken, as they relive trauma from past violence in the country and experience renewed terror.
One in three asylum seekers and refugees experience high rates of depression, anxiety or post traumatic stress disorder according to research in The International Journal Of Mental Health Systems.
14th September 2020: Research sheds light on violence and mental health in Brazilian favelas
Favela residents with more personal experience and fear of violence have higher levels of mental distress and poorer quality of life.
A study showed that over one third of residents surveyed between 2018-2020 suffered with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress and suicidal thoughts/attempts. 78% feared getting hit by a stray bullet, 83% worried that someone close to them would get hit by a stray bullet and 50.4% had suffered physical or verbal aggression.
28th September 2021: Mental health patients struggling for support in South Sudan
An untold number of South Sudanese are struggling with depression, anxiety and other mental health problems caused by conflict. But they are not receiving the support they need, especially in rural areas. The effects of the mental health gap is all too evident. Years of violence and armed conflict have left thousands of young people battling serious conditions.
13th October 2021: Ukraine – The mental health crisis in Europe’s forgotten war
After seven years of conflict, the mental health needs of people living in towns and villages near the ‘contact line’ in Eastern Ukraine remain high.
Despite the impact on their mental health being severe, seeking care can be difficult. Mental health care services remain centralised and concentrated in urban areas of Ukraine, making them difficult to access.
28th October 2021: Afghan refugees experiencing PTSD need mental health support as they resettle
– Scattered families, a broken NHS (national health service) mental health system and kafkaesque home office procedures compound the anxiety and depression faced by fleeing Afgans.
– Depression, anxiety and poor mental health in general is widespread amongst new arrivals. More than 8000 Afghan nationals were evacuated to the UK in August under the Afghan Relocations and assistance policy (ARAP).
16th November 2021: The rise of severe Mental Health conditions in Yemen
– Now in its seventh year, the crisis in Yemen is no longer headline news. But conflict continues to have a devastating impact on people’s wellbeing, and on their mental health in particular.
– The war and the lack of mental health services in the area of Hajjah has increased the prevalence of serious cases. In March, June and July of this year, more than half of new patients seeking help at the MSF clinic presented with severe mental health disorders.
24th November 2021: Armenia – Building Mental Health resilience in conflict affected communities
For the past 30 years, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has taken a heavy toll on people’s mental health, especially among those living along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Mental health issues soared last year following the surge in violence that affected not only people living in border communities but also in other parts of Armenia. “The short term impact was high levels of distress and strong fears among the affected population” Says Sofia Gimenez Molinero, an ICRC mental health and psychosocial support worker.
11th December 2021: Worrying rise of suicide rates among women in North West Syria
Nearly a third of people interviewed for a new report by the NGO Plan International, conducted with women now for development, said the latter factor, child marriage is a key reason for the rise in self-harm and suicide among adolescent girls in the rebel-held region.
24th December 2021: Mental Health – The neglected crisis in Yemen’s frontline City
Caught along one of Yemen’s remaining active frontlines, the city of Marib and it’s surrounding region now host thousands of vulnerable people displaced by the conflict.
About 50% of women who come for consultations at MSF’s mobile clinics say their mental health problems are getting worse due to this issue.
At the same time men are concerned that they are not able to practice their traditional family role as breadwinners, and about the toll it is taking on their mental health.
10th January 2022: A global mental health crisis is underway among young people
– The incidence of depression and anxiety among adolescents has doubled compared to before the pandemic and a large meta-analysis just published in JAMA pediatrics which includes 29 studies conducted on over 80,000 young people, has shown that one in four teenagers in the world today have clinical symptoms of depression and one in five signs of an anxiety disorder.
22nd January 2022: WHO – Mental Health services ‘very limited’ for war ravaged Yemenis
WHO said Japan has provided diagnostic psychological kits to hospitals in Yemen in an effort to address the shortage of mental health services in the country.
According to Yemeni and UN reports, the mental health cases have increased in conflict ravaged Yemen due to the ongoing fighting between government forces and houthi rebels and difficult living conditions there.
18th February 2022: Ukraine conflict affecting children’s mental health – UNICEF
Despite recent developments aimed at protecting the rights of children affected by the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, UNICEF said nearly half a million girls and boys continue to face grave risks to their physical health and psychological well-being.
Last year UNICEF support reached over 70,000 children, youth and caregivers. Teachers were trained to offer psychosocial support meaning they can now provide better care for children in school, as well as better cope themselves with the fear and stress of the conflict.
25th February 2022: WHO says 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have mental health issues
A world health organisation (WHO) representative on Tuesday said that 500,000 Ukrainian refugees are experiencing mental health issues amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Reuters reported.
During a briefing in Geneva, paloma Cuchi, WHO’S Poland representative, said 30,000 of the Ukrainian refugees have several mental health problems.
11th March 2022: Afghan refugees in France experience trauma and psychological distress
Many of the Afghans who evacuated to France as the taliban took over their country more than six months ago, are experiencing trauma and psychological distress, Human Rights Watch reported. While France has provided important support to evacuees, including many with professional ties to the country, there remains a significant gap in terms of urgent and adequate psychosocial support.
16th April 2022: Stating the effect it has on mental health, scientists call for end to Ukraine war
A cohort of 68 scientists of whom some of them are from Tamil Nadu in India, have urged for an end to the war in Ukraine. They claim that for the sake of global health diplomacy, better governance is needed. They inform that without the necessary medical support, post traumatic stress disorder can lead to productivity loss worldwide.
22nd April 2022: A mental health crisis is brewing for Ukrainian refugees in Europe
Experts believe many Ukrainians escaping the war in their country are expected to experience severe mental health problems in the long term. As demand for counselling surpasses availability, there’s a strong concern, that all refugees could soon face even more extended wait periods before they can get any treatment.
6th May 2022: Research suggests nature improves mental health
Research at the University of Vermont shows that a fast growing environmental science field, which measures the impact nature has on human well-being has produced several vital studies detailing the benefits of nature, forests and parks on mental health and well-being, including happiness, depression and anxiety. Books like ‘Your Brain on Nature’ and ‘The Nature Fix’ have popularized these findings, which champion the health benefits of being outdoors.
20th May 2022: As Shanghai eases restrictions, mental health services have been stepped up
Mental health services have been overwhelmed as many Shanghai residents have reported strained nerves and some have been diagnosed with psychological disorders since the city went into lockdown in late March. Citizens of the city are assisting each other through these troubling times and mental health services are currently sought-after, as many parts of the city are planning on going back to regular life.
3rd June 2022: Mental health plays an important role in taking action on climate change
A new WHO policy brief, launched at the stockholm+50 conference concludes that climate change poses a serious risks to mental health and well-being. By stating examples where a few ground-breaking countries have done this successfully, the organization is encouraging countries to incorporate mental health support in their response to the climate crisis.
8th June 2022: Study finds the risk of psychiatric diagnosis is increased with having a COVID infection.
People with COVID had a 3.8% rate of developing a psychiatric disorder compared with 3% for other respiratory tract infections, according to scientists at Oregon State University. This amounts to about a 25% increased risk. The study used electronic medical record data to compare the mental health impacts on hundreds of thousands of COVID patients with other types of respiratory tract infections in the first four months after infection.
5th July 2022: 1.5 million Ukrainian children face a looming mental health crisis
The International humanitarian organisation launched the No Peace of Mind report which has raised the concerns on a looming crisis as Ukrainian parents reveal the mental health of their children is their biggest worry.
The mental wounds of war could affect children well into adulthood and lead to a workforce crippled by mental disorders in 15 years if there isn’t swift intervention across Ukraine and countries hosting refugees says World Vision.
20th July 2022: By 2030 The Mental Health Market is expected to see massive growth
A research report on the global Mental Health Market has been published by Astute Analytica. The global mental health market size was $384.85 billion in 2021 and is forecast to reach $560.33 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.43% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2030.
4th August 2022: Biden Administration to address Mental Health crisis in youth
The biden Administration announced actions to address the decline in youth mental health by awarding funds to increase access to comprehensive mental health services in schools and encouraging governors to take advantage of these funds. Over the years, youth have reported experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety at higher rates, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19.
24th August 2022: Ukrainian children at risk of long term Mental Health problems
The war in Ukraine has exposed hundreds of thousands of children in the country to traumatic events that put them at risk of long-term mental health problems, making it imperative to take action, warns Stener Vogt, a child protection specialist at NORCAP, which is part of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
4th September 2022: Palestinian children’s exposure to war
The violence in gaza has increased Palestinian children’s stress and anxiety levels. They suffer because they have lost loved ones, their homes destroyed and don’t feel secure. In addition, getting these kids the right care like qualified therapists and psychiatrists, is challenging because Israel controls access into and out of the gaza strip. As a result, many families are left on their own to handle these problems.
7th September 2022: Generation Z’s battle against depression, addiction and hopelessness
New research on Generation Z revealed the alarming depth of the youth mental health crisis unfolding in america, a slow-burning fire now raging in the wake of COVID-19.
The research, from the Walton Family Foundation and Murmuration shows that more members of Generation Z – those born between 19997 and 2012 – are grappling with mental health issues than people from older generations.
This page was written and is also regularly updated by Abdurahman Warsame – Global Health Crises Analyst.
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