The promise of a lull on the Covid-19 front, the approach of spring… In mid-February, the return of ” happy Days “, finally, could seem within reach. A hope dashed on February 24, when Russia attacked Ukraine. How does this conflict, at the gates of Europe, affect our mental state?
Obviously, wars first alter the mental health of populations directly exposed to their violence. In 2019, the WHO has carried out a review of studies on the subject. Result: in countries that have experienced conflict in the previous ten years, more than one in five people (22.1%) suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia . These disorders are of moderate to severe intensity in nearly one in ten people (9.1%).
Compared to the distress of the Ukrainian populations, our anxieties, in fact, remain a reaction of the privileged. “In view of the dramatic events in Ukraine, our moods seem to me quite futile”, emphasizes Joël (those whose names are not mentioned wished to remain anonymous), in response to a call for testimonies launched by The world. “It’s hard not to feel guilty when our daily life remains unchanged, I try to act in my own way by participating in collections, testifies, for his part, Tiphaine, 30 years old. It is also difficult to maintain hope, when the bad news follows one another, that at the same time the IPCC report [Groupe d’experts intergouvernemental sur l’évolution du climat] is published. » But feeling sorry for herself would seem “indecent” when she sees the courage of the Ukrainian people.
Strong sense of identification
“We are obviously ashamed to complain, we are not under the bombs, life here continues normally, but “Ukraine” – as we said “the virus” – has invaded our lives”, adds Sophie Mangon, 68. Yesterday, it was the spread of SARS-CoV-2 that we could dread. Today, it is the contagion of the conflict.
Empathy for those who suffer this misfortune, of course, is a major factor of anxiety. “As for Syria, as for Afghanistan, I dream at night of these tragic events, I think of all the innocent people whose lives are destroyed and who suffer violence that seems to come from another century”, also writes Tiphaine. Faced with this disaster that is befalling the Ukrainian people, a well-known psychological effect comes into play: “The closer we feel to a population, the more we identify with it”, recalls Coraline Hingray, psychiatrist at the University Hospital of Nancy.
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