Years of war in Congo have created a dire mental health crisis. But little support is available

Associated Press

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Years of conflict in eastern Congo have created a dire mental health crisis. Aid groups say the number of people seeking care has spiked as fighting intensifies. Some of the worst affected struggle to survive in cramped, violent displacement sites that aren’t conducive to recovery. One aid group says the number of people who received psychosocial support in camps around the city of Goma increased more than 200% between January and June compared to the same period last year — from 6,600 to more than 20,000. It says the number of people with suicidal thoughts has increased as well.