Citation

Dadi AF. Lancet Psychiatry 2022; 9(3): 194-195.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S2215-0366(22)00013-X

PMID

35183276

Abstract

Ethiopia is the second-most populous country in Africa, with a total population of approximately 115 million and 12 administrative regions. A war, started on Nov 4, 2020, by the Tigray Peoples Liberal Front attacking the Ethiopian Government military bases located in the Tigray region, has migrated into the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara, and has resulted in massive internal displacement, homelessness, financial and family loss, and disruption of the culture and values of millions of people living in these regions. Women and children bear substantial morbidity and mortality because of conflict, whether directly due to violence or indirectly due to various health consequences.

Mental health problems are major indirect consequences of armed conflicts and can have short-term and long-term effects on the wellbeing of individuals living in war-affected areas. According to new WHO estimates, the age-standardised and comorbidity-adjusted point prevalence in conflict settings is reported to be around 13·0% (peaking at 16·2%) for mild forms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and 5·1% (peaking at 6·5%) for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and severe depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder...

Language: en