Washington, D.C. — The American Psychiatric Association (APA) represents the physicians who deal with the interrelationship between physical and mental health and touch on human emotion, social connection, thought, and behavior. APA asserts that no matter where political lines are drawn, the human and societal tolls of war and conflict are devastating and have immediate and downstream effects on mental health.

In this moment, war, poverty, violence, forced displacement and other disasters are impacting lives across the globe. These conflicts have a significant impact on families and children that cannot be understated and will have lasting mental health implications for society at large for years to come.

The psychiatric effects of these events include but by no means end at the direct mental health impact of being a victim of brutalities, the transmission of transgenerational trauma, the psychological damage to soldiers who face and cause death and violence in war, the toll on aid workers who put themselves in harm’s way to help others, the disruption for millions of individuals forced to flee their homes, and the long-term harm to children of witnessing horrors first-hand.

Given the long-term mental health impacts of these crises and our role as healers, APA affirms that all human beings deserve an opportunity to live in stable environments where they can be and feel safe. APA stands for and supports efforts for peace and reduction of conflict everywhere.

For more information:

• Coping After Disaster
• Disaster Mental Health

American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 38,900 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research of mental illnesses. APA’s vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please visit www.psychiatry.org.