Status of Mental Health in Liberia:
In Liberia, a debilitating mental health crisis persists in a context of extreme poverty. Fourteen years of brutal civil war, the largest Ebola epidemic in human history, and pervasive gender-based violence have resulted in widespread trauma. Women and girls have suffered the worst impact from each of these crises.
A Population At Risk:
Adversity, including violence and poverty are significant risks to mental ill health, creating a vicious cycle of bidirectionality. While men and women are both susceptible to mental illness, and depression specifically, women face far greater risks, especially in Liberia, due to endemic levels of sexual violence, extreme socioeconomic disadvantage, and where gender inequality severely limits their opportunities in education, decent work, and health. Over one million women in Liberia are suffering from depression, resulting in at least 4 million children lacking the nurturing and caregiving needed for optimal health and learning.
34%
of children complete primary school (UNICEF)
164
Liberia ranked UNDP’s Gender Inequality Index 2021
44%
of the population lives on $1.90 or less per day UNDP Index 2021
30%
of young women ages 15-19 are already mothers or are pregnant (DHS 2019)
The current climate crisis is having a significant impact in rural Liberia.
The climate crisis is having a significant impact on mental health, globally, and it poses an even greater risk to the mental health of populations facing the brunt of climate change. Liberia is highly vulnerable to adverse climate change impact due to widespread poverty and dependence on climate sensitive sectors (agriculture and forestry). Women are suffering the worst from trauma, depression, and anxiety with few options to receive mental health support or to take action to mitigate the immediate effects of climate change in their environment. It's estimated that more than 40% of Liberians suffer from post-traumatic stress and/or a major depressive disorder, yet fewer than 1% of Liberians have access to mental health services.
In Kolahun District, 76% of women are farmers. They are most susceptible to the emerging and compounding consequences of living with mental health challenges and coping with the immediate effects of climate change in their environment.
Tackling the climate crisis at the community level in rural Liberia requires simultaneously tackling the widespread mental health challenges women are experiencing. Climate change is having its own impact on mental health and climate impact mitigation activities can have a positive effect when combined with other interventions, such as RHL’s group therapy.