The war in Ukraine is taking an increasingly heavy toll on children’s mental health with some children developing speech defects and uncontrollable twitching, while others have terrible nightmares and even scream in their sleep, according to Save the Children.

Analysis of the Save the Children’s case management data from January to June 2024 reveals 43% of these children are suffering from psychosocial distress. The data also indicates that children across all regions where the organisation operates show symptoms of anxiety, fear, moodiness, difficulty concentrating and irritability.

Alarmingly, case workers have observed that at least five children aged 8 to 16 years old who live in Kharkiv – which is close to the frontline and comes under constant ariel attack – have developed grey hair, with the children’s caregivers and doctors attributing this to the war and the extreme stress it’s causing the children.

As Ukraine nears three years of full-scale war, reports of mental health complaints – including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder – are on the rise, with research showing that adolescents who are exposed to war are more likely to screen positive for depression. It’s also been estimated that nearly 10 million of the 37 million people in Ukraine, including 1.4 million children, are at risk of developing or are already living with mental health conditions due to the war.

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