Deteriorating mental health

The 1999 report Special Topics on Social Conditions in Iraq included for the first time an evaluation of the impact of the sanctions and repeated military attacks on the mental health of the Iraqi population, particularly children.

The report explained that 56% of under10s suffered from anxiety and psychological disorders, while the number of children aged 10 to 14 in treatment for mental disorders had risen by 124% between 1990 and 1998. Among the adult population, the number of people being treated for mental problems rose by 157% over the same period of time, and admittance to hospital by 137%. Between 30 and 50% of visits to the doctor corresponded to mental disorders.

The same report showed that juvenile crime had doubled since the introduction of sanctions. Despite the efforts of the authorities, community leaders, emerging social networks, the imposition of economic sanctions created a total devaluation of civic values among Iraqi youths, who abandoned the values of their parents’ generation: tolerance, hard work, education, defence, and a commitment to public life. 

This would later contribute to the social implosion of the country after the occupation in 2003: a young member of the new security forces or religious militias earned the same or more than a medical specialist or university professor.