In times of conflict: Doctors say war has spiked post-traumatic stress in K-P, FATA

Nearly 1,000 patients reached out for mental health services at LRH in 2012.

PESHAWAR:

Conflict in the region and family disputes have increased mental health patients in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata), said doctors at the Lady Reading Hospital.

The hospital treated more than 1,000 in-patients in its psychiatry unit last year. The unit was established in 2006 for the rehabilitation of those diagnosed with mental health disorders and substance dependence.

Doctors say a large number of people who seek help are diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Security problems in the province and an increasing frequency of family disputes serve as triggers.

The psychiatry unit has treated a total of 1,104 patients who were admitted to the LRH in 2012. The administration said the total number of out-patients tended to at the unit in 2012 was not available and estimated it could be in thousands.

“We provide different types of therapy to patients keeping in view their history and the nature of the disorder. Some of them are treated with medicines, while some people have to be given electric shocks,” said Senior Registrar Dr Muhammad Fayyaz.

A majority of patients complain the ongoing conflict in K-P and Fata causes distress and has turned them into patients with psychiatric disorders, Fayyaz added.

Furqan*, an in-patient, said he had been on psycho-pharmaceuticals prescriptions for the last three months and then discontinued the use as the medicines did not have the desired result. However, my doctors have advised me to restart the medication, he added.

“I passed my masters degree in English but my family’s circumstances are not good. I have been unemployed for the last six months and the current job market is very limited. The ongoing conflict has negatively affected employment rates in our region,” said Furqan.

Zahid* had similar complaints. He linked his mental health to the conflict in Khyber Agency, adding that it has destroyed his life.

“Who is benefiting from the current situation? Impoverished people continued to be affected and those who survive suffer from mental health problems,” he added.

Doctors at the LRH psychiatric unit said the number of people impacted by the violence in K-P might be higher. Many visit other hospitals in Peshawar and other parts of the country, especially Islamabad for better treatment.

*names have been changed to protect privacy

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2013.