The insurgency in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province is causing a mental health crisis, with a quarter of the region’s population now displaced. People are struggling with untreated trauma after witnessing extreme violence, including mass beheadings, said humanitarian groups concerned about the strain on those who have sheltered dozens of displaced people in their homes. Patricia Postigo, a medical coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières, said the psychological distress of people when they emerged from hiding in the bush was generally worse than their physical condition. “You see the people are very sad, depressed. You can see they are lost when they are talking with you, totally lost. They cannot sleep at night,” she said. “All of these displaced people, they all need support, and also the local community. They are the ones giving support and they are caring, but they need help themselves.” Postigo said the health system in the historically neglected province had collapsed, and was not equipped to support the mental health needs of the displaced people.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN