Mental health needs in Gaza are a long journey and a “collective responsibility”

In an interview with UN News, Dr. Saeed said: “Mental health needs will not suddenly disappear after the ceasefire, but will remain for a long time. It is a long journey and we must ensure that we continue to help communities during this period.”.

He pointed out that issues related to mental health extend back to before the last war, as reports indicate that two-thirds of the adult population in Gaza were suffering from severe distress, while more than half of the children were already suffering from psychological problems.

Earlier this year, UNICEF reported that more than one million children in Gaza need psychological and social support to treat depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

Integrating mental health into various sectors

The World Health Organization advisor, who spoke to us from the organization’s regional office in Cairo, explained that what must be worked on in the current period is “Integrating components of mental health and psychosocial support into the work of all sectors, whether education, protection, water and sanitation, or food security.”Instead of creating isolated mental health hospitals.

He stressed that “Mental health is everyone’s responsibility.” And it is “It is not about curing diseases, it is about empowering people so that they can achieve their full potential, be able to deal with stressful situations and contribute to the development of their communities.”.

From this standpoint, Dr. Saeed believes that the matter is not limited to the health sector or one specific party, whether it is the World Health Organization or any other party.

He added: “We must ensure that mental health considerations are integrated into all aspects of the work that we hope to do when it comes to reconstruction and rebuilding infrastructure, as well as communities and services.”.

Empowering communities and cadres

A WHO advisor reported that before the war in October 2023, there was a strong program in Palestine on integrating mental health into primary and general health care, where doctors and non-specialist nurses are trained to recognize and manage common mental health problems and link them to specialized services.

He added: “There is a good, well-trained workforce. We have to give them the opportunity to expand services so that communities can benefit.”.

Dr. Saeed also stressed the importance of empowering local communities to be able to provide the necessary support to their vulnerable groups, adding: “Here lies the importance of interventions such as psychological first aid, basic psychosocial support, skills and training, which are some of the things that the World Health Organization has been promoting for a very long time.”.

Dealing with stigma

In light of the multiplication of mental health needs for different groups and ages in Gaza, Dr. Saeed explained that there are different problems related to mental health among men and women and in different age groups.

That’s why, he said “There has to be a person-centred approach. You cannot take a holistic approach to community mental health management and dealing with individuals with mental health problems.”.

He also pointed to another challenge in dealing with this issue: “stigma”which is not limited to the general public only, but also exists among professional groups, people suffering from mental health problems, and their family members.

He went on to say: “Stigma is like a cloud covering the mental health landscape, leading to a decrease in allocated resources, a lack of political vision, a scarcity of services, and a lack of use even when they are available.”.

In the face of this stigma, Dr. Saeed said that the response must be multi-level, starting from the policy level to the individual level, which includes sectors such as media and education, and before that what is happening at the health sector level.