Major funding deficit deepens Syria’s mental health crisis

The long civil war that started in 2011, along with a series of devastating earthquakes that killed more than 55,000 people in Turkey and Syria in February 2023, have left deep scars among survivors.

Stifling economic crises, unemployment and poverty are compounding the impacts of these events, adding to the psychological damage, observers say.

Memories of torture

“When I left prison [after three years], I tended to live in isolation and spent most of my time sleeping to escape the harshness of reality. Even my dreams turned into nightmares.”

Others are shackled by disabilities left by the war, such as 23-year-old Dalal, displaced in a makeshift camp on the outskirts of the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria.

“I went from being a determined and optimistic young woman to a victim of war and a victim of psychological and physical illness.”

For Dalal, who now suffers from severe depression, this bitter experience is impossible to forget. “I live in my own hell, isolated from everyone,” she says. “I feel very tense when I hear loud noises, because they remind me of the sounds of shells and explosives.”

Children traumatized

Many of those bearing the brunt of these crises are children, who have grown up among ruins and devastation, experiencing terror and loss.

Eight-year-old M.S., whose real name is withheld to protect her, lost all her family members in the 2023 earthquake and now lives with her aunt.

“She suffers from panic attacks and screams from time to time. The doctor confirmed that she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“The groups most at risk are those facing ongoing hardship, such as displaced people, women and children, as well as frontline workers, such as volunteers in rescue teams,” he adds, noting the need to focus not only on treating mental illness, but also on building psychological resilience and adaptability among these groups.

Social stigma

Al-Juma says the social stigma associated with mental illness prevents many people from admitting they have a problem.

Some do not realise that mental illnesses are medical conditions that require therapeutic interventions, he adds.

During more than 13 years of conflict in Syria, mental health has been sidelined in favour of emergency health care, leaving a dearth of mental health centres and services in the northwest of the country, where hostilities are ongoing.

It estimates that nearly 1 million people there suffer from some form of mental health disorder.

Among other things, the sessions aim to break down the stigma associated with psychiatric medications and the false perception that mental disorders are a sign of weakness, he explains.

Funding crisis

However, humanitarian support to tackle the impacts of Syria’s multiple crises faces a major funding deficit.

“People in northwest Syria have endured years of violence, displacement and deprivation. They need the opportunity to heal not only from physical wounds but also from the deep, unseen psychological scars left by this crisis,” said Thomas Balivet, MSF’s head of mission in northwest Syria, in a report released last month.

“Investing in mental health is an investment in a more stable future where people can regain their lives.”

Al-Juma added: “This is not limited to Syria alone but extends to all countries in conflict in the region that are facing the same fate.”

Source:

SciDev.Net