PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS IN THE POST CONFLICT AREAS

Through our work in conflict and post conflict areas, HMD Response has become acutely aware of the psychological damage inflicted on victims of war, either as a result of the terror of war itself, or more direct acts on individuals, such as rape and torture and the death or disappearance of family and friends. Estimates suggest that in Bosnia- Herzegovina at least 15 % of the population may experience mental distress severe enough to require treatment.

According to the Psychiatry Department of the Clinical Centre in Sarajevo, the incidence of stress disorders is highest among adult males aged between 25 and 44 years. Some indication of the likely magnitude of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) in children is suggested by data from the area of Srebrenica, where 545 children were orphaned and 10,000 were left with only one parent. PSTD severely affects the victims’ capacity to function normally, dramatically reducing their life of their communities. Thus it is no longer sufficient to treat only the physical injuries of the victims of war; appropriate attention must also be given to the psychological damage suffered by them. This has significance in an immediate sense in terms of an individual's ability to survive trauma; it also has implications for post conflict resolution and long term reconciliation of war-destroyed societies.

"It must be recognised that the war in former Yugoslavia [had] an impact on the physical and mental health of the entire population, especially that of refugees and displaced persons. Psychosocial assistance to refugees must be recognised as a priority and launched during the emergency phase..."

Quote taken from Dr.Inger Agger et al; 1996; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF WAR - AN EVALUATION; ECHO and ECTF.