by Mohamed F Jalloh1, Wenshu Li1, Rebecca E Bunnell et al.
BMJ Glob Health, 2018; 3:e000471
12 pp. 638 kB
http://gh.bmj.com/content/3/2/e000471.full.pdf
The mental health impact of the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic has been described among survivors, family members and healthcare workers, but little is known about its impact on the general population of affected countries. The authors assessed symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the general population in Sierra Leone after over a year of outbreak response. They conclude that symptoms of PTSD and anxiety-depression were common after one year of Ebola response; psychosocial support may be needed for people with Ebola-related experiences. Preventing, detecting, and responding to mental health conditions should be an important component of global health security efforts.
