KABUL: Scarred by decades of war, social problems and poverty, more than 60 percent of Afghans suffer from stress disorders and mental health problems, officials warned on Sunday.
“This is a major problem,” Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan’s acting public health minister, told a ceremony in Kabul on World Mental Health Day. “More than 60 percent of Afghans are suffering from stress disorders and mental problems.” The picture is particularly grim in parts of the country where government healthcare workers are unable to provide basic services because of Taliban insurgency, she said.
“Extreme poverty, insecurity, violence and gender disparities are the major factors contributing to worsening mental health in Afghanistan.” The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that more than 60 percent of Afghans, mostly women, suffered from psychosocial problems or mental disorders. The WHO said that because only a fraction of the health budget is spent on mental health, a large majority of people suffering from these disorders received no care at all.
“There are only 200 beds for psychiatric services in the country, with only two psychiatrists in the country covering the entire population,” said WHO representative Peter Graaff. Public health ministry spokesman Ghulam Sakhi Kargar Noryghli said the 60 percent estimate dated from a study carried out with the WHO in 2004.
“Since war has continued, poverty or economic problems have increased in some parts of the country. We believe that the number of those suffering from mental illnesses has increased and now it is more than 60 percent,” he said. The population of Afghanistan is estimated at roughly 28 million.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]
www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the
copyright owner.
