title: Psychiatric problems in an Afghan village.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The rates of psychiatric disorders might be very high in Afghanistan. The country has faced many years of war and violence and therefore this is hardly surprising. We are describing the results of a community survey conducted by clinicians in a small village of Eastern Afghanistan. This study was carried out to measure prevalence of psychiatric disorders among the people living in a small village in the Nangerhar, Afghanistan. We also wanted to measure the associated demographic variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  A structured interview schedule, Mini International neuropsychiatry Interview Schedule (MINI), was used to measure psychiatric morbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 70% of the population fulfilled criteria for some form of mental illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rates of mental health problems are very high in Afghanistan. Any efforts to rebuild this war torn country should take sufficient measures in building mental health services with special emphasis on mental health problems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan. kamufti2001@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Khalid A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Mufti
authors.forename: Farooq
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Naeem
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayub
authors.forename: Farida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saifi
authors.forename: Asad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haroon
authors.forename: Saif-ur-rehman
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Dagarwal
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kingdon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000346:Afghanistan; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012423:Rural Health