Sudan’s war is inflicting a growing psychological toll on the population, as rising levels of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder compound the country’s security, humanitarian and economic crises.
The suffering of Sudanese civilians now extends beyond deaths and the hardship faced by the wounded, hungry and displaced. The conflict is also eroding the nation’s mental well-being.
Estimates by international organizations and local experts point to a worsening mental health crisis that could leave long-term scars on society unless psychological support services and specialized treatment are urgently expanded.
The World Health Organization said in a report that depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are widespread in the capital, Khartoum. The prevalence of these disorders reached about 12% among secondary school students and exceeded 59% among displaced persons.
Prolonged conflict in Sudan has created a growing burden of mental health disorders, the report said, warning that children are among the most vulnerable.
They face risks including kidnapping, sexual violence, forced recruitment and child marriage, experiences that can leave lasting psychological damage.
Major psychotic disorders remain relatively rare, the organization said, while reliable data on suicide and drug abuse remain limited. Still, estimates indicate that more than one in five people living in conflict areas suffers from a mental health disorder.
Sudan also faces a severe shortage of specialists, with only 899 mental health professionals nationwide, according to statistics issued in 2020.
Rising mental illness rates
In December 2025, Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health reported a significant rise in mental illness, saying the war and abuses against civilians have sharply increased the need for urgent intervention.
The ministry announced a federal plan to rehabilitate psychiatric hospitals and addiction treatment centers to strengthen the health system’s response to growing demand.
Federal Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said mental disorders are rising globally, but the situation in Sudan is particularly complex under the conditions imposed by the war.
He said the ministry is working to raise public awareness of mental health, expand early detection services and improve access to treatment. He also called for adopting a comprehensive approach to mental health and allocating sufficient budgets to develop services within the national health system.
In January, the minister visited Al-Tijani Al-Mahi Hospital for Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases in Omdurman to assess the damage caused by the war.
Some wards and clinics have resumed operations, with more than 50 patients per day.
Psychological support for war-affected people
Psychologist Khadija Mohamed Al-Habib said a psychiatric unit opened at Al-Nour Teaching Hospital in Omdurman in October 2023 to provide psychological support for people affected by the war.
The unit offers counseling and therapy for patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. It also runs rehabilitation programs for children affected by landmines to support them psychologically and socially.
The clinic receives between 60 and 90 patients each week. It also provides psychological support in shelters, treats addiction cases and organizes awareness lectures on the dangers of drugs and ways to prevent them.
Sociologist Tagwa Mohamed Al-Bishra said the psychiatric unit does more than provide treatment, running volunteer initiatives to assist those affected by the war.
These efforts include providing daily meals and clothing for children, particularly during religious holidays, as well as supporting prosthetic limb fittings and surgical operations for the injured.
The team also assists unidentified patients in coordination with hospital administration and participates in food assistance programs with volunteers and the nutrition department.
Increasing cases in Al Jazirah state
In Al Jazirah state in central Sudan, mental health disorders have risen noticeably as the war’s effects deepen.
Dr. Al-Amin Diab, director of the Mental Health Hospital in Wad Madani, said a new psychiatric ward has opened to strengthen services under the exceptional circumstances facing the state.
The hospital most frequently treats depression, psychosis, manic episodes and postpartum depression. It admits between 15 and 20 cases weekly that require hospitalization, with numbers expected to rise.
Treatment and medication are provided free of charge with support from humanitarian organizations and official bodies to ease the burden on affected families.
Specialists say the war has triggered a silent mental health crisis that rivals the conflict’s economic and humanitarian devastation.
Rates of anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and social phobia have risen across large segments of society.
Experts warn that ignoring mental health at this stage could have serious consequences for Sudan’s future, stressing that expanding psychological and social support services is now an urgent humanitarian and national priority.
