The Devastating Impact of Sudan’s Armed Conflict on Mental Health and Wellbeing

Data from the United Nations Organization for Migration showed that the number of internally displaced persons in Sudan has doubled in recent days, as more than 700,000 people have been displaced since mid-April, in light of the continuing fighting between the two parties to the conflict.

In addition to the new cases of internal displacement, the United Nations estimated that more than 100,000 people, including Sudanese citizens and returning nationals of other countries, have fled to neighboring countries, especially Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia.

Emergency teams for psychological support

An informed official at the Egyptian Ministry of Health said, in statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that a plan was immediately drawn up to provide psychological support to Egyptians returning from Sudan, as well as displaced Sudanese, or nationals of a foreign country, which included equipping a “psychological support clinic” at the border crossings in the city of southern Aswan; With the aim of treating the so-called “displacement diseases”, especially for children, adolescents and women.

He pointed to the increase in the number of teams specialized in providing psychological support and counseling services at the crossings in recent days with the increase in the number of displaced people, and the preparation of a number of hospitals in Aswan to receive cases most in need of psychological treatment, in addition to making hotline services “16328” available to receive any requests for treatment or treatment. Support and deal with it right away.

A difficult situation

Consultant psychiatrist Jamal Froiz, who worked as a consultant psychiatrist for the United Nations in a number of conflict areas, believes that there are many psychological diseases left by conflicts that outweigh the organic diseases, especially for children and women who witnessed destruction and killing.

In exclusive statements to Sky News Arabia, Froiz specified the impact of the conflict in Sudan on the exacerbation of mental illness in a number of points, saying:

• During my work within the United Nations teams in Darfur and South Sudan, I witnessed the damage of many families as a result of displacement and fighting, as many people are killed and injured, and there are those who leave their homes, and this has led to an increase in psychological and nervous crises.
• Many of the displaced suffer from psychological disorders, as children suffer from panic, sleep disturbances, and constant fear of the fate that awaits them, and there are those who have lost their children or children who have lost their parents, and all of this is accompanied by diseases and psychological disorders.
• The most prominent mental illnesses suffered by the displaced are: depression, post-traumatic symptoms, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep disorders, anxiety and tension, as well as withdrawal and a sense of persecution.
• It is necessary to follow up those coming from Sudan on an ongoing basis and through teams specialized in psychotherapy. To enable them to overcome the difficult period they have experienced since the outbreak of the fighting.
• What the Egyptian Ministry of Health did in terms of deploying psychological teams and equipping specialized clinics at entry points is very important, and this must be complemented by following up on arrivals for a period of 6 months if post-traumatic symptoms appear.

Wars breed mental illnesses

The American Journal of Mental and Psychological Health referred, in a study, to mental illnesses left over from wars and armed conflicts, including:

• 22 percent of people living in areas of armed conflict suffer from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
• About 9 percent of the population of countries experiencing violent conflict suffers from severe mental health and psychological disorders.
• Depression and anxiety increase with age in countries experiencing conflict, and these numbers are much higher than in peacetime, as almost one in 14 people suffers from some form of mental illness, or up to 7.14 percent.
• Research issued by the Royal College of Psychiatrists indicates that symptoms of post-war psychological disorder appear after weeks or within 3 months, including physiological symptoms such as muscle pain, diarrhea, irregular pulse, headaches and appetite disorders.
• Physiological symptoms coincide with other psychological ones that control the patient, such as panic attacks, fear, depression, anxiety, and feelings of guilt, and may reach suicidal thoughts and tendencies.