UNFPA Yemen: Yemen’s Invisible Crisis: A mental health emergency for women and girls

For over a decade, the women and girls of Yemen have endured relentless conflict, displacement, and climate shocks, plunging them into a profound mental health emergency that continues to escalate. Many have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods, often becoming the sole providers for their families amid crushing poverty. This relentless turmoil has fueled severe mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Displacement has further exacerbated their suffering, severing vital social connections and leaving them isolated and vulnerable.

Huda’s* story: A tragic loss amid dwindling support

Huda, a vibrant and ambitious young woman, was seven months pregnant with her second child when she tragically ended her own life. Despite her resilience, she had battled severe depression for years. When her father could no longer work, Huda was forced to become her family's sole breadwinner. Feeling anxious and isolated, she sought help at the UNFPA-supported specialized mental health centre in Dhamar Governorate, receiving medication and counselling. She was also referred to a UNFPA safe space for livelihood training, which led to her starting her own business selling incense and butter.

Huda, who married at the age of 22, experienced an abusive relationship and eventually returned to her family home, where she gave birth to her first child. She continued to receive support at the mental health centre, confiding in a case manager about self-harm, and an attempt to harm her young son, who was fortunately saved by a neighbour. In April 2025, Huda was referred to a psychologist for therapy sessions but was told her medication could no longer be funded due to cuts. Upon hearing this, Huda broke down, screaming and trembling, showing signs of severe distress and self-harm. Her condition worsened significantly. One evening, a few weeks later, Huda sat in her room, watching her baby sleep peacefully, and in a devastating decision, decided to hang herself. 

The ripple effect: Mental health and well-being

Displaced women in Yemen often live in overcrowded and unstable conditions, struggling to meet basic needs. This instability fuels anxiety and helplessness, making mental health support crucial for their survival and recovery.  The economic devastation has also forced many women into poverty, bearing the immense burden of providing for their children, especially after losing primary breadwinners. Social isolation, a direct consequence of conflict and displacement, further compounds these challenges. 

A dire shortage: The state of mental healthcare in Yemen

Mental healthcare in Yemen is critically scarce and highly stigmatized. Only 120,000 people have uninterrupted access to mental health services, with a mere 46 psychiatrists serving the entire country – a ratio of one psychiatrist for every 700,000 people. In 2025, an estimated 7 million people are grappling with psychological trauma and stress requiring specialized health support. 

UNFPA's urgent appeal: A call to action

Over the past six years, UNFPA, with funding from ECHO, European Union Humanitarian Aid, Canada, and Norway, has established six mental health centres in Yemen, and with the support of the Netherlands made psychotropic drugs available at local hospitals, which are accessed by women and girls in need in Yemen. By the end of March 2025, however, UNFPA was forced to reduce its humanitarian reproductive health and gender-based violence services by approximately 40 per cent.  This means nearly 1.5 million women have lost access to life-saving services, and 300,000 women have lost access to prevention and treatment for gender-based violence. Ten women and girls’ safe spaces have closed, and over 400 staff working at these vital centres have lost their jobs. One of the six mental health centres has also shuttered.  

UNFPA stands with the women and girls of Yemen. We urgently call on the international community to increase funding for essential mental health and protection services to ensure that women and girls receive the services and support they need and deserve. 

UNFPA's 2025 appeal for Yemen, set at $70 million, has received only 36 percent of its target.

*Name changed for privacy and protection.