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The global financial crisis is likely to cause increased mental health problems and even suicides as people struggle to cope with poverty and unemployment, the World Health Organization warned Thursday.
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The global financial crisis is likely to cause increased mental health problems and even suicides as people struggle to cope with poverty and unemployment, the World Health Organization warned Thursday.
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are already affected by mental problems such as depression and bi-polar disorders and the current market meltdown could exacerbate feelings of despair among people vulnerable to such illnesses.
The United Nations agency said the impact could be especially marked for those living in low and middle income countries where access to treatment is often limited.
"We should not be surprised or underestimate the turbulence and likely consequences of the current financial crisis. As it is we are seeing a huge gap in taking care of people in great need," WHO director general Margaret Chan told a meeting of mental health experts.
Poverty and its associated stresses including violence, social exclusion and "constant insecurity" are linked to the onset of mental disorders, she said.
"It should not come as a surprise that we continue to see more stresses, suicides and mental disorders," Chan warned.
Benedetto Saraceno, director of WHO's mental health and substance abuse department, said mental health disorders affect one in four people at some point in their lives.
Mental and neurological disorders are often chronic and disabling, he said. Nearly 1 million people commit suicide worldwide every year, a large proportion of them young adults.
Asked about the financial crisis, Saraceno said "Poverty can be the consequence of such events, the debts, despair and sense of loss that may reach middle and lower classes. Even the poor can be affected by this crisis".
"There is a clear evidence that suicide is linked to financial disasters. I am not talking about the millionaire jumping out of the window but about poor people," he said.
The global crisis could be expected to affect the "stability of communities and families", according to Saraceno.
The WHO launched a programme Thursday, the annual World Mental Health Day, aimed at increasing funding and services for the mentally ill over the next six years.
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(Agencies)
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世界衛生組織于上周四發出警告，全球金融危機導致很多人陷入貧困和失業，進而可能造成嚴重的心理問題甚至自殺事件增加。
目前，全球已有數億人受到抑郁癥和躁郁癥等精神問題的困擾，而如今全球金融市場的崩盤無疑將進一步加重那些心理脆弱者的絕望情緒。
聯合國機構世衛組織稱，這一問題在中低收入國家會尤其顯著，因為這些國家的醫療條件相對有限。
世衛組織總干事陳馮富珍在心理健康專家會議上說：“我們不應該感到意外，不能低估這次危機帶來的動蕩和可能造成的后果。目前，我們在救助心理疾病患者方面還存在很大空缺。”
她說，貧窮及其帶來的相關壓力，包括暴力、社會排斥和“持續不安全感”等問題會引起精神紊亂。
她警告說：“不出所料，我們還會看到更多的壓力、精神紊亂和自殺事件的發生。”
“心理健康與濫用藥物署”主管貝內德托?薩拉瑟諾說，每四個人中就有一個人在人生的某個階段會出現心理問題。
他說，精神和神經紊亂的影響經常是長期的，并且損壞心智機能。全球每年有近100萬人自殺，其中大部分是年輕人。
在被問及金融危機造成的影響時，薩拉瑟諾說：“危機會導致人們陷入貧困，債務、絕望和失落感可能會襲擊中低收入階層；甚至連窮人也會受到這場危機的影響。”
“很明顯，自殺與金融危機密切相關。但我指的不是那些跳樓的百萬富翁，而是窮人。”
薩拉瑟諾說，全球金融危機還會影響到“社區和家庭的穩定”。
世衛組織在上周四的“世界心理健康日”當天推出了一項新計劃，旨在今后六年加大對心理疾病患者的資助和服務。
（實習生瞿漫 英語點津姍姍編輯） |
