400 million children beset by waris a global public health crisis

From Ukraine to Sudan to Gaza, war takes a devastating toll on children. UNICEF estimates that more than 400 million children globally live in areas affected by war or other conflict. While the world’s diplomats work toward toward — and internationalorganizations call for — an end to the bloodshed around the world, they must alsoprepare a parallel plan to meet the consequences of war on children’s mental health. A 2008 meta-analysis of 7,920 children exposed to war — including samples from thePalestinian territories, Israel, Bosnia, and Rwanda — found that 47 percent hadprobable post-traumatic stress disorder, 43 percent depression, and 27 percentanxiety, with many of these conditions co-occurring. Every armed conflict adds to theburden on global mental health. In 2023, for the first time, health care professionalsaround the world designated mental health disorders as a higher health concern than cancer. Keep Reading.