INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION
‘Syrian patients at Dar Al-Ajaza psychiatric hospital in Aleppo, 2012. Deaths due to self-harm have doubled in the past 25 years across the region.” photo/AFP/Getty Images/The Guardian
Suicide, homicide, and sexual assault are increasing much faster in the Eastern Mediterranean Region than any other region in the world, according to a new scientific study. These violent acts, as well as conflicts, accounted for more than 200,000 deaths in the region in 2015.
“Intractable and endemic violence is creating a lost generation of children and young adults,” said Dr. Ali Mokdad, the study’s lead author and the Director for Middle Eastern Initiatives at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. “The future of the Middle East is grim unless we can find a way to bring stability to the region.”
In addition to violence in the region, there has been a sharp increase in non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Depression and anxiety disorders were the most common mental conditions, according to the study, published today in the International Journal of Public Health. Both affect women more than men.
“With globalization and urbanization of most societies, women may be exposed to numerous stressors, which have repercussions on the entire household, and children in particular,” said Dr. Raghid Charara, of American University of Beirut and one of the study’s more than 500 collaborators.
Mental disorders contributed to nearly 11 million years lived in less than ideal health, also known as years lived with disability, or YLDs. The problem is exacerbated by the lack of both mental health practitioners and funding for services.
Throughout the region, the ratio of practitioners to 100,000 people was about seven on average and was as low as 0.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 people in countries such as Libya, Sudan, and Yemen. By comparison, among European nations the ratio ranges from nine per 100,000 to more than 40.
“There must be a comprehensive plan to build on existing expertise and projects addressing health challenges that exist at the nexus of human health, environmental resilience, and social and economic equity,” Dr. Mokdad said.
In 2015, nearly 30,000 people in the region committed suicide and another 35,000 died from interpersonal violence, representing increases of 100% and 152%, respectively, over the past 25 years. In other parts of the world during the same period, the number of deaths from suicide increased 19% and interpersonal violence by 12%.
The study found that hanging and poisoning are the most common methods of suicide in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The authors note that statistics on suicide likely are underestimated due to cultural and religious barriers, social stigma, and legal punishments that discourage victims, families, and governments from disclosing such information.
The 15 papers and three editorials that constitute the study are based on the most recent estimates from the annual Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors study (GBD), a systematic, scientific effort to quantify the magnitude of health loss from all major diseases, injuries, and risk factors by age, sex, and population. With more than 2,300 collaborators in 132 countries and 3 non-sovereign locations, GBD examines 300-plus diseases and injuries.
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