Palestinians suffering from 'unprecedented mental health crisis'

A mental health NGO has found “alarmingly high” rates of mental health disorders among Palestinians in Gaza, particularly women and children.

In a report published on Tuesday, the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) said that Israel’s ongoing war on the enclave has produced an “unprecedented mental health crisis” which could endure for “generations to come”.

The report found that Gaza’s children “live in a state of endless tragedy”, with many of them suffering from sleeplessness, sleepwalking, night terrors, constant shaking and bedwetting.

One father told GCMHP that one his children wets the bed at the sound of war planes and drones flying overhead.

Some children develop serious mental health disorders. A 13-year-old mentioned in the report suffers from visual and auditory hallucinations.

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