In lands of conflict, problems of mental health

About 22 percent of people who live in areas of the world affected by conflict have a mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder, according to a new report in the Lancet.

About 9 percent of those affected have moderate-to-severe conditions. The findings come from an analysis of data from 129 studies, covering 39 countries that had experienced conflicts in the preceding decade. The researchers did not include natural disasters and public health emergencies as “conflicts,” focusing instead on armed conflicts and violent uprisings in such places as Afghanistan, Iran, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen.

The report says that the number of conflict-zone residents with a mentalhealth condition — more than 1 in 5 people — exceeds the rate of 1 in 14 people in the general population worldwide who have these conditions.

This year, according to data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations, nearly 132 million people in 42 countries will need humanitarian assistance because of conflict or disaster. The U.N. estimates that nearly 69 million people have been forcibly displaced by violence and conflict, the highest number since World War II.

People living through conflict and its aftermath “desperately need to be able to obtain treatment and care,” a study author and WHO mentalhealth expert wrote in an online post about the new report. “Their disorders often impair their ability to function, so access to care isn’t just about improving mental health. It can be a matter of survival.”