Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: Some 47 per cent of Afghan population is suffering from mental illnesses, the ministry of public health Monday in a report.
Conflicting figures are presented as Afghanistan population, with the statistics center recently announcing 30.5 million.
Bashir Sarwari, an official at the ministry said that 26 per cent of mental ill people had more problems than the others and the illness disrupts their daily work programs.
Sarwari said that the number of people facing mental problems was increasing. He added that two million people went to health centers for treatment in 2018, while it was only 50,000 in 2007.
He said that five per cent of these people suffer from depression and two per cent face anxiety. The report shows that nine per cent of mental sick consume narcotics, sleeping pills and psychotherapeutic medications.
War, migration, poverty and losing loved ones are called as the reasons of mental illness in Afghanistan.
Mr. Sarwari said that 115 psychiatrists were serving mental sick across the country and a mental illness unit was recently opened in every hospital.
