Jahrzehntelanges Leid: Langfristige Folgen der kurdischen Chemiegasangriffe für die psychische Gesundheit. Untersuchungen zeigen, dass Traumata nicht einfach mit der Zeit verschwinden. Es entwickelt sich. Es nistet sich im Körper in Form von Kopf- und Rückenschmerzen ein und äußert sich in Panik, wenn etwas eine Erinnerung auslöst

Dr Ibrahim Mohammed is a clinical psychologist and researcher specializing in trauma, somatic symptoms, and psychopathology in conflict-affected populations. He has worked for over a decade with survivors of massacres in the Kurdistan Region, integrating clinical practice with research. He is also a lecturer at the Institute of Psychotherapy and Psychotraumatology at the University of Duhok. His current research focuses on validating psychological instruments for Kurdish communities and exploring genetic and phenomic factors related to trauma-related disorders.

In a new study in Frontiers in Psychiatry, he and colleagues showed exceptionally high levels of trauma among survivors of a notorious atrocity: the 1988 chemical attack on Halabja in Kurdistan. In this editorial, he summarizes their findings.

The Halabja attack was among the most notorious targets of Saddam Hussein’s genocidal Anfal campaign of 1988, during which an estimated 182,000 Kurds were killed across Iraqi Kurdistan. At Halabja, an estimated 5,000 people died that day from chemical agents, primarily mustard gas and nerve agents. Thousands still suffer from its long-term effects. Entire families were shattered, homes destroyed, and the community bears the wounds to this day.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1693072/full