Post-traumatic stress disorder among Afghan refugees following war.

There was a large influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan during the 1980s and in particular after the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. That refugees have high rates of mental health problems has been well established (e.g. De Jong et al, 2000) - causes include migration, often with painful transit experiences, difficult camp life and the experience of major trauma, including multiple losses of family members as well as the loss of property and traditional lifestyle. However, the Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been poorly studied. Although the mental health problems of Afghan refugees have been studied in the West, the numbers of participants in such research have been relatively small.

Psychiatric problems in an Afghan village.

BACKGROUND: The rates of psychiatric disorders might be very high in Afghanistan. The country has faced many years of war and violence and therefore this is hardly surprising. We are describing the results of a community survey conducted by clinicians in a small village of Eastern Afghanistan. This study was carried out to measure prevalence of psychiatric disorders among the people living in a small village in the Nangerhar, Afghanistan. We also wanted to measure the associated demographic variables. METHODS: A structured interview schedule, Mini International neuropsychiatry Interview Schedule (MINI), was used to measure psychiatric morbidity. RESULTS: More than 70% of the population fulfilled criteria for some form of mental illness. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of mental health problems are very high in Afghanistan. Any efforts to rebuild this war torn country should take sufficient measures in building mental health services with special emphasis on mental health problems.

Psychiatric morbidity among Afghan refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: A review of the literature shows that refugees in different parts of the world have high rates of psychological and emotional problems. However, psychiatric morbidity among Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been poorly studied. Most of the studies of psychiatric disorders come from western countries. However, these studies may not be representative of the Afghan refugees in Pakistan. This study was carried out to measure psychiatric morbidity among a group of Afghan refugees attending a psychiatric clinic in Peshawar, Pakistan. METHODS: This is a cross sectional study, to measure prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among the residents of Afghan refugee camps in Peshawar, Pakistan, who attended a psychiatric clinic between November 2003 and February 2004. Data were collected using Mini International neuropsychiatry Interview Schedule (MINI), and a form specifically developed for the study. RESULTS: Nearly 80% of our patients had a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nearly half (47.9%) reported family history of mental illness, while almost a quarter (23.3%) had a physical disability or long term illness. Only 13.7% (106) had contacted health services prior to seeking help for their psychiatric illness. CONCLUSIONS: A high number of patients presenting with PTSD is not an unusual finding when one considers the traumatic experiences faced by the general population of Afghanistan. Only a small number of the patients had been in contact with the health services prior to their contact with the psychiatric service. This study highlights the importance of health education among Afghan refugees and to establish the mental health services for them.