WWIII???
I am here to present and talk about the Global
issue that I am the most passionate about solving. As someone who constantly
watches the news and reads about our worlds state, something that I see quite a
lot are news about battles, conflicts, war. Titles such as “Exclusive! Third
world war approaching!”, “What is
happening between Iran and The United States Of America? Things are heated!” or
even “President Trump starts war out of boredom” surround the media.
They are
all a bit exaggerated, of course, since that could give them a lot more of
attention from readers or viewers. But even when exagerated and blown out of
proporsion are still not a total lie. I am worried about the repercusions war
is having on the mental health of the humans that are presencing it face to
face. What could be going on in their minds? Because they for sure are not
alright.
Wars have had an important part in psychiatric
history in a number of ways. It was the psychological impact of the world wars
in the form of shell shock that supported the effectiveness of psychological
interventions during the first half of the 20th century. It was the recognition
of a proportion of the population not suitable for army recruitment during the
Second World War that spurred the setting up of the National Institute of
Mental Health in USA. The differences in the presentation of the psychological
symptoms among the officers and the soldiers opened up new ways of
understanding the psychiatric reactions to stress.
Though there have not been any world wars
since the Second World War, there have been wars and conflicts throughout the
last 60 years. For example, in the 22 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean
region of the World Health Organization (WHO), over 80% of the population
either is in a conflict situation or has experienced such a situation in the
last quarter of century.
War has a catastrophic effect on the health
and well being of nations. Studies have shown that conflict situations cause
more mortality and disability than any major disease. War destroys communities
and families and often disrupts the development of the social and economic
fabric of nations. The effects of war include long-term physical and
psychological harm to children and adults, as well as reduction in material and
human capital. Death as a result of wars is simply the "tip of the
iceberg". Other consequences, besides death, are not well documented. They
include endemic poverty, malnutrition, disability, economic/ social decline and
psychosocial illness, to mention only a few. Only through a greater
understanding of conflicts and the myriad of mental health problems that arise
from them, coherent and effective strategies for dealing with such problems can
be developed.
The importance that the WHO attributes to
dealing with the psychological traumas of war was highlighted by the resolution
of the World Health Assembly in May 2005, which urged member states "to
strengthen action to protect children from and in armed conflict" and the
resolution of the WHO Executive Board in January 2005, which urged
"support for implementation of programmes to repair the psychological
damage of war, conflict and natural disasters".
As we can see, the war doesn’t only cause a
huge amount of disaster physically and among the streets of countries and their
cities. But as well a lot of damage inside the mind of the people who live it.
By Juan C. Gutiérrez, Step 9
