Ebola stigma deepens mental health crisis in DR Congo, workers warn

By AP

As Ebola continues to devastate eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, health workers are warning of a less visible crisis: the psychological toll on patients, survivors and families left behind.

At a mental health treatment centre in Bunia, one woman is receiving support after losing two close relatives and three members of her extended family to the disease. She says fear and stigma have left her feeling isolated.

Mental health patient, lost relatives to Ebola: “We were afraid, but we went to the hospital. Everyone at home was afraid. The neighbours are afraid to come near us. It is as though you are alone because of this disease.”

Healthcare workers say stigma affects patients, survivors and medical staff, sometimes deepening the trauma of those already struggling with loss.

Anicet Katembo Vyaluva: “It affects almost all of us, it affects the health care community, the patients themselves, even the survivors of this disease here. Because in the community, there will often be stigma, the isolation of this patient. And when the patient, for example, finds himself in a center for the treatment of the disease, he feels isolated.”

The crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of armed conflict and displacement across eastern Congo.

Mirella Riccardi, MSF mental health and psychosocial support: “The crisis, the war, the conflict, internal conflict makes an already fragile community even more vulnerable. So Ebola, it’s one more element to fragilize the condition of mental health of people.”

Aid workers say psychological support is essential alongside medical treatment, as communities face grief, fear and the stigma surrounding Ebola.