MENTAL HEALTH AND CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION 17
People traumatised by indirect or direct violence manifest enduring effects and
symptoms of mental illness, which can develop later on in life (Curran et al 1990;
Luce et al 2002; McDermott and Fitzgerald 2004; Ghigliazza 2010). The Department
of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (2003: 4), has estimated that one in six
people in Northern Ireland will suffer from a medically defined mental illness at some
stage in their lives.3 Another study from the Department (2004) illustrates how, in
comparison to the UK average, mental health needs in Northern Ireland are 25
percent higher. PTSD is usually considered the most common mental health problem
related to a conflict - mainly conflicts that are perpetuated - and its aftermath
(Muldoon and Downes 2007). Accordingly, while a range of mental health disorders
may develop because of exposure to traumatic events, PTSD is the only mental
disorder that must be preceded and directly linked to a traumatic event (De Jong,
Komproe and Van Ommeren 2003; Ferry et al 2010). Moreover, post-conflict
societies normally have a higher prevalence of PTSD than societies where conflict is
ongoing (De Jong, Komproe and Van Ommeren 2003).
While mental health in Northern Ireland is still related to the ongoing low-level
conflict and in particular to the decades of the Troubles, the data paints a more
complex framework. This complexity is in part revealed through a survey that shows
the prevalence of PTSD in Northern Ireland (Ferry et al 2010), both from PTSD
discovered in individuals during twelve months before this study and in those
individuals who has developed PTSD symptoms at least once in their lifetime. Figure
1 compares the twelve-month rates of PTSD in Northern Ireland with other countries,
some of which have a history of conflict. Northern Ireland has the highest percent of
5.1 (68,000 adults); within this 27 percent (18,000) have twelve-month PTSD linked
to a conflict-related traumatic event (Ferry et al 2010). In regard to lifetime
prevalence figures, Northern Ireland also has the highest rates across all countries
with 8.8 percent (118,000 adults) and approximately 29 percent (34,000 individuals)
were associated with conflict-related traumatic events (Ferry et al 2010).
3
See also Gallagher, Hamber and Joy (2012).