Psychologists, social workers and representatives of civil society organizations warned of the serious repercussions of the deteriorating political, economic and social situations on the psychological state of the residents, especially the children, in the Gaza Strip.
They stressed the need for intervention to stop the deterioration and the need address the root causes of the crisis; especially the external causes, particularly the Israeli occupation's blockade and the internal division.
This came up during an around discussion table organized by the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO), under the title of "Psychological State in the Gaza Strip under Current Circumstances". The discussion held as a part of the project “Enhance CS Capacity to work for democratic Independence in Palestine” in partnership with Norwegian People's Aid (NPA).
The participants of the workshop stressed the need for concerted efforts to address the root causes of the crises in the Gaza Strip and the need to work at all levels to provide social protection and offer psychological interventions, especially for the traumatized children.
Director of the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO), Amjad Shawa stressed that the disastrous consequences of the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip have increased as indicators show high rates of poverty, unemployment and food insecurity experienced by two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which threaten the basic necessities of life for the people who suffer from the internal political division and the Israeli occupation's blockade.
He referred to the suffering of the most vulnerable groups within the society: women, children, persons with disabilities, patients, whose conditions are worsening, as well as unemployed youth. He also referred to youth suffering of lack of opportunities for participation in society.
Shawa highlighted the ratios mentioned in the report prepared by Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, saying that the number of patients referred to the psychiatric hospital increased by 21% compared to 2017, and the number of patients attending government-run mental health centers increased by 69% compared to 2016.
Shawa pointed out that there is a decline in social protection levels and an increase in the number of children who broke the law.
"The number of children who broke the law increased by 41% in 2017 compared to 2016; as the number reached to 429 children," said Shawa. He added that difficulties to obtain sufficient food increased too. Meanwhile, marriages decreased by 10.8% compared to 2016.
Dr. Yasser Abu Jamie, Director General of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP), in his speech said, "Deteriorating living conditions in the Gaza Strip increased the social and economic burden on the Palestinian families, so the consequent psychological pressure experienced by the Palestinian society must be taken into account," adding "Moreover, how the psychological pressures appear and the organizations that may provide the needed psychological care, must also be considered".
He pointed out that statistics prepared by GCMHP for 2017 show that the most common disorder among children recent visitors of the center is urinary incontinence, their percentage is 20%, followed by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); the percentage of children suffering from (PTSD) reached 13%.
Abu Jamie added that 24% of children frequent visitors of GCMHP centers suffer from behavioral problems and symptoms that have not been diagnosed but they received the necessary guidance services.
As for adults, Abu Jamie pointed out that "In 2017, most new cases diagnosed as suffering from depression; 22% of the total cases, followed by drugs and substance-related disorders; 21% of the cases". He went on saying,"26% of the cases diagnosed as suffering from anxiety-related disorders; almost of which suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and PTSD".
He pointed out that a broad range of population in the Gaza Strip suffer from frustration, due to the dire economic situation, the high rates of unemployment, especially among youth, and the daily suffering of power outages and the consequent trouble.
Regarding the clinical aspects, Abu Jamie said that one of the most important observations made by both male and female professionals was that "depression associated with poor economic conditions began to affect the middle income people of the society, and the occupation practices cause relapse for patients with PTSD; especially the residents of border areas".
Brian Barber, a researcher and academic lecturer in mental health, said that he and a group of researchers have been conducting an in-depth study since 1995 on the psychological conditions of the Palestinian youth who experienced the first Intifada (The Uprising) (1987-1993) and the changes they underwent especially those who were subjected to physical and psychological violence at that time. The study were conducted on more than 2.000 young people.
He said that the nature of people's suffering in Palestine and in Gaza Strip in particular is different from the rest of the world, where a special tool has been developed to measure the suffering, as the youth in the Gaza Strip through separate interviews uttered the same phrase "I'm tired of life, my future is destroyed, I'm lost".
Barber explained that the suffering in the Gaza Strip is caused by external not personal factors, as people are exposed to surrounding problems i.e caused by others, so that the suffering must be treated by founding a solution to the economic, social and political situations.
