Mohamed (not his real name) is a 35-year-old patient at the Al Amal hospital in Sana’a – one of only four hospitals in Yemen providing care to persons with mental disorders.
A father of four, Mohamed is isolated from his wife and children. He thinks about them constantly.
“They have nothing to eat,” he says, eyes welled with tears. “All I am worried about is my children going hungry, while I must stay here for my treatment. I miss them. They have no one to support them.”
Outside the hospital walls, Mohamed faces social stigma and shame, because of widespread misinformation, ignorance, and discriminatory attitudes about mental illness in Yemen.
Yet mental illness is among the most common health conditions in Yemen. Some eight million Yemenis – more than one in four – are estimated to be suffering from mental and psychosocial problems that are exacerbated by armed conflict, forced displacements, unemployment, food shortages, and other dire conditions.
Mohamed is an exception to the great majority of these Yemenis who have no access to available and affordable diagnosis and treatments for a wide range of mental health disorders.
Yemen’s eight-year armed conflict and collapsing economy have crippled health facilities and worsened mental illness that impacts every community and social strata of Yemen. Compounding this largely invisible, neglected crisis, Yemen has never had a fully developed national mental health programme, or extensive education campaigns to address the pervasive social stigma associated with mental disorders.
The relatively few facilities that deliver mental health and psychosocial services are gravely underfunded, in comparison to an overwhelming need for their services. Yemen has just 0.21 psychiatrists per 700 000 Yemenis and 0.17 psychologists per 100 000 Yemenis – compared to 12.4 psychiatrists and 29.03 psychologists per 100 000 US citizens, and 29.68 psychiatrists and 54.28 psychologists for every 100 000 Norwegians. There is also a scarcity of reliable detailed data about mental health services in Yemen, hindering targeted investments.
While his family struggles daily with abject poverty, Mohamed is gripped by deep depression and anxiety. Yet he still counts himself highly fortunate to be hospitalized.
“People who are unwell need to be treated well by those who are healthy,” he said. “I believe I would have died if I wasn’t brought into this hospital. I am blessed to be here. I might have committed suicide otherwise.”
In partnership with the Government of Japan and The World Bank International Development Association, WHO is supporting the Ministry of Public Health and Population to update the National Mental Health Strategy and programme, and to build needed capacities of partners and stakeholders for mental health and psychosocial support initiatives.
"WHO has been able to work with our partners here to improve the delivery of mental health and psychosocial support services, and their coordination mechanisms,” said Ibrahim Abou Khalil, Mental Health Technical Officer at the WHO Yemen country office. “However, there are overwhelming needs not addressed on a national level.”
Since 2021, more than 3500 health care staff, first responders, frontline workers, school teachers, and child protection and gender-based violence case managers have been trained in mental health and psychosocial support. Two hospitals in Sana’a – the Al-Amal Neurological and Psychiatric Hospital, and the Al-Thawra General Hospital Psychiatric Ward – have been rehabilitated and provisioned with new equipment and materials. Incentive payments have been made to 196 unsalaried health workers. Fifteen health facilities have received psychological diagnostic kits and psychotropic medications. The Ministry of Public Health and Population has also been given support to develop a mental health awareness campaign.
Working together with the Family Counseling and Development Foundation (FCDF) as implementation partner, WHO strengthened multi-level mental health and psychosocial support services and improved their availability to some 145,000 people suffering from mental health complications.
“Mental health is an integral part of health; indeed, there is no health without mental health,” said Dr Adham Ismail Abdel-Moneim, WHO Representative to Yemen. “Together with our partners, WHO is committed to supporting and advancing national efforts to promote, protect and restore mental health for all Yemenis, without discrimination.”
Story: Kevin Cook & Hanan Eshaq / WHO-Yemen
Photos: Omar Nasr / WHO-Yemen
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