A Tidal Wave of Trauma

From PTSD to depression, the war in Syria has spawned a massive mental health crisis — and there are neither the doctors nor the money to stem its crushing effects.

BY LAUREN WOLFE-MAY 27, 2014
There are as many guises of trauma as there are Syrians who have experienced the war still ravaging their country. The dead-eyed mask is common, often in children. I saw it in a refugee house in Amman, Jordan, where, seated on scratchy nylon mats that said “UNHCR,” seven or so boys and girls stared at me stonily. Their mother cried until her whole face and neck turned red as she told stories of massacres and family members who had disappeared. The father sat quietly in a nearby room, praying.

A Tidal Wave of Trauma by nelvely