Trigger warning: this article discusses trauma.
Suffering through more than three decades of war, most Afghans have experienced the destruction of economic, social, and cultural infrastructures in their country, forcing them to live through challenging conditions on a daily basis.
Mental Health in Afghanistan
“It is important to understand the mental health of Afghans prior to their forced migration as their trauma is complex and multiple,” Husna Safi, an Afghan-Canadian psychotherapist and social worker based in Ontario, told TRT World. She also mentioned how “all Afghans share similar stories of witnessing violence, losing loved ones, sustaining war injuries, becoming refugees or internally displaced, and being separated from family members, all of which are traumatic experiences and inevitably have mental health impacts.” The available data reflects a highly traumatized population. A 2018 EU survey found that 85% of Afghans had witnessed at least one traumatic event. According to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) Afghanistan, one in two Afghans suffer from psychological distress, and a fifth of the population experiences problems in accomplishing routine tasks. Yet, fewer than 10% of Afghans have been able to receive sufficient mental health support from the state, with the situation even worse in large swathes of rural areas.
Mental Health Accessibility Challenges
After the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban in 2001, many international NGOs filled the gap to develop mental health infrastructure in the country. While there has been an increase in community-based services, accessibility remains a problem for the vast majority. While the Afghan government trained over 800 mental health counselors over the last decade, Hans Grootendorst, managing director at HealthNet TPO, said that there is still a need for additional psychiatric nurses, clinical psychologists, and psychiatric social workers. He highlighted inadequate financing and psychosocial interventions; increased behavioral and substance abuse among youths; limited supervision and monitoring of services; and poor public mental health literacy as ongoing challenges. Another factor is the fear of social stigma in a largely conservative culture, leading many to abstain from seeking help.
Afghanistan has been devastated by violence, and it is estimated that half of the population experiences depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress, which can have a disastrous impact on mental health and the well-being of relatives and friends. Despite this, the government only spends about $0.26 per capita on mental health, out of $7 spent annually per capita on health services in general.