GOMA, Congo — For Nelly Shukuru, there was no way out. The fighting that forced her from her home, the squalid conditions in the displacement camp in eastern Congo, the hunger, all felt inescapable. The 51-year-old planned to hang herself.
She said a neighbor stopped her just in time. "In my mind, the suffering was permanent," said the mother of six, seated in a health clinic. "The people who have died are better off than I am.
" Years of conflict in eastern Congo have created a dire mental health crisis. Aid groups say the number of people seeking care has spiked as fighting intensifies. Some of the worst affected struggle to survive in cramped, violent displacement sites that aren't conducive to recovery.
The number of people who received psychosocial support in camps around the main city of Goma increased more than 200% between January and June compared to the same period last year — from 6,600 to more than 20,000 — according to aid group Action Against Hunger. The number of people reporting suicidal thoughts has jumped from about five a month at the beginning of the year to more than 120, it said. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide.
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org . Internationally, many governments and other organizations offer help and information on how to contact them is available online.
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