Fifth of children suffer mental disorders

ONE in five schoolchildren in northern Afghanistan is likely to suffer from a psychiatric disorder, according to the first large-scale survey of children’s mental health in the country.

The Durham University-led study found day-to-day violence and stress were as much the cause of the children’s suffering as the war-related brutalities they witnessed.

The researchers say effective mental health interventions, which are holistic and not solely focused on war-related trauma, are vital in helping children and their families get well.

The researchers, who surveyed more than 1,000 children, say the evidence shows Afghan children experience violence that is ongoing and not necessarily confined to the war.

One in 10 children surveyed identified accidents, being beaten by relatives or neighbours or painful medical treatments as the most traumatic injury in their lives.

Only a handful of children referred to a war-related injury as their most distressing experience, although children were also traumatised by the loss of relatives in the war and being displaced from home.

Children showed a range of mental health problems, including extreme anxiety, depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the latter a condition commonly found among soldiers returning from war zones.

Poverty and poor quality education are the source of huge day-to-day pressures placed on children, according to the Durham scientists whose research is published in The Lancet.