War is hell on the brain: Doctors map psychological disorders in Gaza and the West Bank
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Palestinian children in Hebron. CC photo: David Masters
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders reports that short-term psychotherapy could be an effective treatment in specific psychiatric disorders, especially in children.
Trauma from war and violence has led to a high incidence of psychological disorders in Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
The international medical nongovernmental organization Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders reports that even short-term psychological support can ease the burden of violence-induced psychiatric disorders, especially in children.
Emmanuelle Espié of the Paris-based Epicentre and colleagues from Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, along with researchers from four French hospitals shared data collected from Palestinian patients ages 1 year and older referred to the Médecins Sans Frontières psychological care program.
Data was gathered from 1,369 patients (773 from the Gaza strip and 596 from the Nablus area) who received psychological care between January 2005 and December 2008. All patients in the study were clinically assessed by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
The patients were evenly divided between male and female with a median age of 16 years. Among the 1,254 patients for whom full clinical information was available, 23.2 percent had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 17.3 percent had an anxiety disorder (other than PTSD or acute stress disorder), and 15.3 percent had depression.
PTSD was more frequently identified in children under age 15, while depression was the main symptom observed in adults. Among children under 15, factors significantly associated with PTSD included being witness to murder or physical abuse, receiving threats, and property destruction or loss.
Sixty-five percent of patients took part in individual, short-term psychotherapy, with 30.6 percent requiring psychotropic medication (generally Fluoxetine or Alprazolam) along with counseling.
Following psychotherapy, 82.8 percent of children and 75.3 percent of adults had improved symptoms. Psychological care was conducted principally at the patient's home over a course of 8 to 12 weeks. Children tended to stay in therapy longer and to take part in group therapy sessions more often than adults.
Among patients that showed no improvement or aggravated symptoms at the last session, the main persistent symptoms were sadness (14 percent) and aggressive behavior (12.7 percent).
The study authors concluded, “These observations suggest that short-term psychotherapy could be an effective treatment for specific psychiatric disorders occurring in vulnerable populations, including children, living in violent conflict zones, such as in Gaza strip and the West Bank.”
The study was published in the open access journal International Journal of Mental Health Systems.
(The 48-month epidemiological study was concluding just as Operation Cast Lead was beginning. The intensive three-week military attack by Israel began December 27, 2008. More than 1,400 Palestinians -- 237 combatants and 1,172 non-combatants, including 342 children -- were killed and 5,000 civilians were injured during the air and land assault, according to the human rights organization, Al-Haq. More than 4,000 homes and much of Gaza's infrastructure and buildings were destroyed during the assault.)
Sources:
International Journal of Mental Health Systems 2009, 3:21doi:10.1186/1752-4458-3-21
'Operation Cast Lead': A Statistical Analysis, August 2009, Al-Haq, the West Bank affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists-Geneva
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I would suggest that the best way to stop these effects in the future and to avoid a repeat of the "more than 4,000 homes and much of Gaza's infrastructure and buildings were destroyed during the assault" would be a combination of real efforts to find peace and a total revision by Hamas of its combat tactics, which use the deaths of, and injuries to, children as propaganda.
As is to be seen on its website, linked to in the article, Al-Haq is a human rights organisation which fights human rights abuse. Fine. But nowhere, which means nowhere, on their site, including the "statistical analysis" on Cast Lead linked to, is there even one mention of the many alleged abuses of human rights by Hamas or other armed groups. The only data there is is about what happens when Israel attacks and not what happens when Hamas is alleged to use ambulances, homes, mosques, civilians etc to shield, transport and stock combatants and arms. The figures they use are highest estimates, and there are no other - Israeli for example - figures to compare them to. So why does Al-Haq say it investigates abuse "whoever the perpetrator" if that is blatantly not the case?
If I can't challenge the neutrality of figures set before me to read, or their source's neutrality, then that's not normal. Of course I care about the children too, but that's not all there was to discuss.
It was important to point out in the article that the study did not include the events of one year ago. Would the rates of PTSD, anxiety and depression be higher if the study had included the after-effects of Cast Lead? Almost certainly. (I may have PTSD just from watching it on TV.)
Besides it being a UN sanctioned organization, the choice of Al-Haq as a source was legitimate. If I wanted to report on the U.S. devastation of Iraq I would not look to the Pentagon for accurate figures. Al-Haq’s partners/supporters includes these “do-gooders”:
• Christian Aid
• Diakonia
• EED (Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst e.v.)
• The Ford Foundation
• The International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Dev., Canada
• Irish Aid (Department of Foreign Affairs)
• Open Society Institute
• The Representative Office of Norway
• The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
• The pooled funds of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
(SDC), the Royal Danish Representative Office to the PA, the Swedish
International Development Cooperation (Sida) and the Netherlands
Representative Office to the PA channelled through the NGO Development
Center (NDC)- HR/GG secretariat.
Al-Haq is the West Bank affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists - Geneva, and is a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Habitat International Coalition (HIC), and the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO).
You know, I don't think that who supports Al-Haq is a measure of what Al-Haq actually does. I think AL-Haq's site and resources more than speak for themselves and say things best for Al-Haq, and that is that they only look at one half of the blame picture, unless someone can inform me otherwise.
As for those supporters, it's normal they have them, if not they'd have no funding and credibility lol!. But if you look more closely at those organisations you get the following, which is not exhaustive.
Ford Foundation - Apologised unreservedly and publicly for supporting Palestinian NGO's accused of anti-semitism in 2002.
Christian Aid - NGO Monitor has a lot to say on CA's persistant refusal to consider Hamas failings, notably corruption, whilst at the same time actively supporting anti-Israel NGO's.
EMHRN - Vast majority of members are solely concerned with Palestinian issues and alleged abuse by Israel.
And as for Al-Haq being a UN-sanctioned organisation, that's not surprising at all given that its closest UN contact is the UNCHR, which as we all know has been so heavily criticised by so many countries, organisations and by the UN itself for bias, not only in this conflict but elsewhere, that it is being forced to change its ways by the UN under threat of having it done for them. Indeed there was even talk of shutting it down and replacing it last year....
All this to say, I suppose, that NGO/UN activity and figures concerning Israel/palestine are mostly biased in one way or another. I have often written that I think a more neutral and cool-headed approach to this issue is necessary, as I am interested in the whole truth, not just part of it or someone's version.
:)
We should expect to have post-traumatic stress disorder on both sides of a war, and in all kinds of people.
Think of the well-documented cases of
US veterans from the American War in Iraq, Vietnam, etc. together with the people of Iraq, Vietnam, etc...
The society of all people living in Israel/Palestine of course is severely damaged by this long-time violence. I doubt that there are good data, and data covering all kinds of living beings.
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