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Liberia’s Hidden Mental Health Crisis: War Trauma Haunts Nation Decades Later
By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives
The Lingering Scars of War
Musu (name changed for privacy) sits in a circle with dozens of community members in Montserrado County, Liberia, sharing a story that echoes the trauma of thousands. At just 15, she was taken by a rebel commander during Liberia’s civil war to serve as a “war wife” – forced to cook, clean, and endure sexual violence. Now, decades later, she still struggles to trust men.
“I just feel like all men are looking at me,” Musu tells the group. “To just trust a man, it’s very hard for me.”
Her story represents Liberia’s silent mental health crisis – a legacy of the brutal civil conflicts that raged from 1980 to 2003, leaving an estimated 250,000 dead and millions psychologically scarred.
A Nation Sitting on a “Time Bomb”
Experts warn that untreated trauma from the wars has left Liberia vulnerable to escalating violence and social problems. “It’s almost like we’re just sitting on a time bomb,” says Seidu Swaray, head of the Liberia Association of Psychosocial Services. “The moment any little thing is triggered, you will see it escalate beyond our imagination.”
According to the World Health Organization, one in five people exposed to trauma will develop mental health conditions like PTSD, depression, or anxiety within a decade. In Liberia’s population of 5 million, this could mean over a million affected individuals. Emerging research suggests trauma may even be passed genetically, potentially impacting children born after the wars.
“Untreated trauma from the wars has left Liberians psychologically numb and quicker to anger, violence, despair and other destructive behaviors than non-impacted populations,” according to experts.
Critical Lack of Resources
Despite the scale of the problem, Liberia has just eight psychiatrists for its entire population – one for every 625,000 people, compared to the WHO recommendation of one per 10,000. The government passed a Mental Health Act in 2017 but has never conducted a national survey to assess the crisis’s true scope.
“As a country we do not have any existing data on national prevalence of mental disorders,” admits Dr. Moses Ziah of the Health Ministry’s Mental Health Division.
Dr. Benjamin Harris, Liberia’s first psychiatrist, sees daily evidence of the crisis: “Depression is not just a feeling of sadness, it’s an illness. Those affected by it think negatively. They have sleep difficulties. They don’t experience pleasure they used to experience before, and some of them think that there’s no point in living.”
Breaking the Stigma
Community programs like those run by the Liberia Association of Psychosocial Services are making small but crucial impacts. Through door-to-door outreach and group therapy sessions, they’re helping survivors like Musu begin to heal.
“This session is helping me to go around people and not to keep by myself,” Musu says. “I’m cooling down on my anger and I’m starting to feel fine.”
However, stigma remains a major barrier. “Stop thinking that it is only people who are roaming the streets in dirty clothes who are mentally ill,” urges Swaray. “You can be a banker, you can be a businessperson, you can be a manager, or even a minister, but you’re not mentally healthy.”
Funding Cuts Amid Growing Need
As Liberia prepares for its War and Economic Crimes Court proceedings – which may reopen old wounds – mental health funding has been cut by 20% in the 2025 budget. Experts warn this comes at the worst possible time.
“Our country has passed through war and too many traumatic experiences,” says Swaray. “The war is the first huge one. Ebola, Covid, all these things have created extreme psychological wounds.”
Without urgent action, Liberia risks passing its trauma to another generation, with potentially devastating consequences for the nation’s future stability and development.
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Funding was provided by the Swedish embassy in Liberia. The donor had no say in the story’s content.
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