GENEVA 

The UN on Tuesday released a guide to help the estimated 4 to 8 million people currently suffering mental health problems as a result of humanitarian crises around the world.

Nearly 80 million people are affected by emergencies such as natural disasters and war, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN’s refugee agency said in a joint statement. Nepal is the most recent example but communities in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and the Central African Republic are also notable examples.

"Most people, adults and children, experience grief and acute distress,” the agencies said. “But emergencies also trigger conditions such as depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or prolonged grief disorder that can severely undermine a person’s daily functioning.”

The Mental health Gap Action Programme Humanitarian Intervention Guide is to be distributed to non-specialist health workers to help identify and manage mental health issues.

The WHO has trained more than 500 non-specialists in Syria since 2012. "The new guide will help accelerate and scale-up access to mental health care in Syria and other emergency settings," the statement added.