By DPA
Baghdad : The terrorism and chaos in Iraq have led to a manifest increase in mental health problems among the country’s residents, according to the results of a study announced Wednesday by the Iraqi health ministry.
Around 35 percent of all Iraqis suffer from serious mental health problems, the study produced with the cooperation of the World Health Organization (WHO) showed.
An adviser to the ministry, Mohammed Rashid al-Obeidi, told the Al-Sabah daily that more women (about 40 percent) were affected than men (30 percent).
In many cases, these problems led to alcoholism and severe psychological disorders. In addition, there has been a related increase in violence among families.
“The reason for this increase is the security situation in the country in the past years,” said al-Obeidi.
Stating that there was little by the way of treatment available in Iraq for psychological disorders, al-Obeidi suggested the establishment of psychological counselling stations at state health centres.