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Health Check: The Impact of the Ebola Crisis on Mental Health in Sierra Leone

Ebola survivor

21/01/2015

The Impact of the Ebola Crisis on Mental Health in Sierra Leone

BBC World Service - Health Check, The Impact of the Ebola Crisis on Mental Health in Sierra Leone

How people are managing emotionally living in a country left in limbo by the Ebola crisis

How people are managing emotionally living in a country left in limbo by the Ebola crisis, Blind women training to detect breast cancer, Blood tests to help stopping smoking.

As the immediate crisis with Ebola begins to show signs of receding, thoughts are turning to how people are managing emotionally. In Sierra Leone feelings of fear, panic, stress and shame surrounding Ebola are very common. Many people are coping with multiple grief at the same time as dealing with their own feelings of anxiety and isolation. With schools closed and the economy suffering, there is little to distract them. The International Medical Corps has conducted a series of interviews and focus groups to assess the population’s mental health. Georgina Grundy Campbell, their Emergency Psychosocial Coordinator, speaks to Health Check about the results from the northern province of Port Loko.

Blind Breast Cancer Examiners
There are over 75.000 new cases of breast cancer each year in Germany and it is the most common form of cancer in women. Around 17.000 women die every year and it is the biggest killer of women between 40 and 55. More younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer, too, yet regular mammography screening does not start until you reach 50. Frustrated by the system, a German doctor has piloted a new scheme to try and improve early detection with the help of women who are blind. The BBC’s Abby D’Arcy went to find out more.

Metabolising Nicotine
As many as 65% of smokers who try to give up relapse within the first week. But could the way each individual breaks down nicotine make a difference to their chances of success?  A new study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine suggests that it could. Caryn Lerman is Professor of Psychiatry and deputy director of the Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, She compared slow and normal metabolisers of nicotine head to head on two smoking cessation treatments - nicotine patches and a drug called Varenicline. 

(Photo: An Ebola Survivor speaks to women about her experience and how to treat people who return to the community after having survived Ebola. Credit: International Medical Corps)

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