A BRITISH-based doctor has described how the crisis in Syria is taking a devastating toll on the mental health of the nation.

Dr Redwan El-Khayat, who is from Syria but has lived in the UK for 20 years, gave a talk at Glasgow's Strathclyde University yesterday on the work being undertaken to try to tackle the psychological toll of the conflict.

The Southampton-based former NHS consultant psychiatrist is establishing a network of mental health centres in Syria to care for traumatised victims and is also trying to set up a centre for women who have been subject to sexual violence.

Speaking ahead of the event, El-Khayat said initially the idea of mental health services was not regarded as important as other help, such as shelter, food and sanitation. But he said: "It has gradually gained momentum and support. Depression is the number one mental health problem that we deal with. We also have a lot of trauma-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.

"In children, particularly, we see a lot of phobias, and bed-wetting at night is something that really in some areas is unbelievable, with up to 45% of children up to 12 years old suffering from it. Aggression is again another common problem among children."

El-Khayat said it was vital to address the problems to prevent a "lost generation" who will struggle to recover from the impact of the civil war.

He also pointed out that, with a lack of medical facilities, the treatment of other mental health disorders was also more difficult,

"Severe disorders like psychosis and mania and bipolar disorder have become more common and people relapse more often because of the conditions they are living in," he said.