World Federation for Mental Health on mental health consequences of war
March 16th, 2009
The World Federation for Mental Health has issued the following statement:
WFMH STATEMENT ON THE MENTAL HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF WAR AND CIVIL CONFLICT
“The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), while making it absolutely clear that it does not take sides in armed conflicts, must express its grave concern at the present escalation of conflict around the world in which civilians are the principal victims.
This statement is a response to the horrific circumstances in Gaza, Darfur, Sri Lanka, the Congo and many other areas where conflict is having serious mental health consequences both for the participants and those they involve.
Promoting and protecting the mental health and the well being of the population must be a high priority for governments . Paying attention to the mental and emotional health of a nation’s people must be given added priority during times of stress and conflict such as the world is currently experiencing.
Tension, disruption and uncertainty caused by war and civil strife have major and lasting consequences in the daily lives and routines of children and adults in areas of ongoing violence. Anger and worries about terrorism and military conflicts, the very real fear for safety and survival of civilians and military personnel – all heighten stress and anxiety for everyone. For some, they bring strong feelings of hopelessness and depression, and may result in post-traumatic stress with constant nightmares and panic. They add further stress for those already living with a major illness. The overwhelming and constant connection to military and political conflicts created by the worldwide media lend a sense of “virtual reality” to unfolding events that is inescapable.
Of major concern to the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) is that the mental health consequences of the hardship and trauma created by violence and disruption are generally being ignored, by combatants on both sides of these conflicts.
The social, emotional, physical and economic impact of armed conflict add tremendously to the daily challenges of survival for those caught up in the violence of war and civil strife. Psychological scars, it must be remembered, will remain for many years after the physical ones have healed and will impair the ability of many people to work and contribute to economic recovery. In general, government policies and resources allocated to mental ill-health across the world are grossly inadequate, and these inadequacies become glaringly obvious during periods of crisis and disaster.
The World Federation for Mental Health calls urgently
* On all nations involved in conflict, and to those contributing aid to support such conflict, to respond specifically to these issues and to consider the serious immediate and long term mental health consequences of continuing armed conflict;
* On the international mental health community including professional associations and NGOs concerned with health to intervene with respective governments to insist on upholding the Geneva conventions concerned with the health consequences of war and to provide immediate financial support to the mental health services located in conflict areas; and
* On those major humanitarian organisations that traditionally have not prioritised mental health, to provide the means to support established organisations like WFMH to expand training and services according to the new Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. The Guidelines are now available, their message is clear, but the resources for implementation are still hopelessly lacking.”
Emeritus Professor John R M Copeland MD ScD
PRESIDENT, WORLD FEDERATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH
Academic Unit
University of Liverpool Department of Psychiatry,
Section of Old Age Psychiatry,
St Catherine’s Hospital,
Birkenhead, Wirral, CH42 0LQ, UK
TEL + 44 151 604-7333
FAX+ 44 151 653-3441
e-mail:09 FEBRUARY 2009
Entry Filed under: Mental Health, Psychiatry, Psychology, Public Health, War and Peace