Report: Iraqis resilient in face of war

BAGHDAD (AP) — About 30 percent have been exposed to shootings or bombings. Others have witnessed killings or mutilated bodies. Nearly 10 percent had a family member kidnapped or had been abducted, captured or imprisoned themselves.

The trauma experienced by respondents of Iraq’s first nationwide mental health survey, which was released Saturday, was a grim litany of the violence that pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

The study, conducted by the World Health Organization and the Iraqi government, found that Iraqis have suffered from a surprisingly low rate of severe mental disorders such as PTSD, which officials said indicated resilience in the face of decades of war and hardship.

The findings showed that nearly 17 percent of a random sample of 4,332 Iraqis over age 18 surveyed had suffered from a mental disorder in their lifetime, ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression.

Women showed a higher rate of severe depression and phobias, such as a fear of leaving the house, than men.

Of the total, however, less than 10 percent had sought treatment, highlighting the need for improved psychiatric care in a country where the overall health-care system has been devastated by fighting and sanctions.

Mental disorders are also considered a stigma in Iraq.

“This ability of the Iraqi people to overcome difficulties gives great hope for a better future,” Iraqi Health Minister Saleh al-Hasnawi said at a conference to release the report. “But we have to fight the discrimination the mentally ill patient faces.”

Much has been documented about the mental effect of war on the U.S.-led forces in Iraq, but the study sought to cast attention on the plight of Iraqis.

“Among those who have mental illnesses in Iraq, they’re pretty serious,” said Ronald Kessler, a health-care policy professor at Harvard Medical School who was involved in the study. “The percent who are suicidally depressed is high.”

Nearly 70 percent of those who suffered from a mental disorder also said they had considered suicide.

The authors said the overall figure suggested that Iraqis have adapted to trauma as a way of life after nearly six years of brutal conflict and previous suffering under Saddam Hussein.