Mental health services in Syria were severely affected during the war, with the number of psychiatrists almost halved from 120 in 2011 to just 70 in 2016.
And the Syrian academic, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added: “With the emigration of most of the medical staff, and the scarcity of psychiatrists, even before 2011, the process of addressing the psychological effects of the traumas of war and its aftermath has become mere individual efforts without a programmed treatment.” He points out that some students drop out of school, while others join armed organizations, and the rest face difficult conditions to continue their education, he says.
These statements are supported by the results of a study published by the International Committee of the Red Cross, entitled: “Mental Health during the Syrian Crisis: How Syrians Deal with the Psychological Effects,” which confirmed that mental health services in Syria were severely affected during the war, with the number of psychiatrists almost halved from 120 a physician in 2011 to only 70 in 2016.
While the Syrian academic stresses the urgent need to develop mental health programs in universities, he says that the potential is very weak.
For her part, Ghaida Salman, professor of economics at Tishreen University, told Al-Fanar Media that the destruction of a number of university headquarters, and the fall of a number of students as “martyrs” as a result of the war, had accumulated great psychological effects. She adds that psychological disorders such as depression, despair, and anxiety appear on students or professors as repercussions of war. But it is not the war alone that is the cause, as the poor economic conditions have exacerbated these disturbances, as she put it.
Salman calls for an end to the war and the cessation of terrorist acts, so that the Syrians can rebuild their homeland, and address the psychological and economic effects of the devastating battles.
Psychological pressures confuse the students’ academic path
For her part, Sherine Abdel Aziz, a student at the Department of Criticism and Theater Studies at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, says that the war stopped her studies at the Faculty of Science at Aleppo University, which prompted her, like thousands of other students, to move to Damascus University to complete her studies. She adds that the war has a significant impact on the mental health of young people, as survival has become the first concern for students, not studying or succeeding in it. She also says that she did not encounter psychological support programs during her studies at the universities of Damascus and Aleppo.