Community based approaches to mental health protection in the post war situation

Abordaje comunitario de la proteccion en salud mental, en situaciones de post-conflicto

In many regions affected by war, the post war situation characterized by social problems, depression, passivisation, and deception, represents a constellation additionally threatening the mental health of the population and affecting its coping capacities.

The war time and transition from the socialist to the market economy and social organization of East European regions, destroyed existing systems or deteriorated their functioning. In many areas the process of building new social systems and networks protecting the mental health of the population, is developing very slowly.

International agencies and other donors are prone to cut their support and needed resources for the protection of the mental health of the population when the war is over.

On the other side, the post-war quality of life, psychosocial climate and moral is of crucial importance for the recovery of war related traumas and losses, especially in children and adolescents.

The vision of rebuilding mental health services and developing programs which are still run by international agencies or supported by humanitarian money has various persistent and universal characteristics that will be discussed.

It can be observed that in the field of promotion and protection of mental health of the populations affected by war an important development from individually and clinically oriented models towards community based and public health models took place in the last years. But still a balance between individual, clinical and community based public health approaches has not been achieved. The intersectorial co-operation is still at an initial developmental stage.

On the other side, in areas affected by armed conflicts many innovative and efficient psychosocial programs were developed, specially aimed towards the protection of mental health of children and adolescents, which could serve as models for wealthy war free countries as well.

The discourse on the best practice of mental health an psychosocial activities in war affected populations should be continued. This discourse should be reflected in elaborated guidelines and principles for the international support.

Anica Mikus Kos, Ljubljana, Slovenia, is a retired child psychiatrist, actually the president of the NGO Slovene Philanthropy and head of the WHO Collaborating Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Ljubljana. Since 1991 she has been active in the field of mental health protection of children affected by war. She runs numerous seminars and training in the Balkan and Caucas region. She has acted as a consultant for the UN and other international agencies.