SOMALIA: Rise in Mental Health Disorders Due to Conflict
Prolonged conflict in Somalia, especially in and around the capital, Mogadishu, has contributed to an alarming increase in the number of mental health patients, according to health officials.
'There are a number of reasons why we are seeing so many mental health disorders but, in my opinion, the single biggest contributing factor is the conflict,' Abdiaziz Mohamed Warsame, the only practising psychiatrist in Mogadishu and professor at Benadir University, told IRIN on 3 June.
'We can blame the consumption of khat [a mild stimulant], lack of employment and abuse of drugs, but all these are symptoms of the conflict.'
He said most city residents had been displaced more than a dozen times, with some experiencing horrific violence against themselves, family or friends. IRIN News (3 June 2010)