(Photo credit: All Africa).

Two mental health experts in Juba have warned that children who grow up seeing violence at home and in their surroundings are more likely to be suffering from mental illness in their adult lives.

According to reports, a great number of South Sudanese are struggling with depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems caused by conflict and violence.

However, they are not receiving the support they need, especially in rural areas.

Samuel Jok, a mental health specialist in the country says mental health is simply a situation where someone has peace of mind.

However, he said one of the leading causes of mental disorder – are childhood adversities and recurrent stressful situations are the leading cause of the mental disorder.

“When we talk of mental health, there are a lot of factors that determine our mental health. It starts from where you are growing,” he said to Zone 72 Program on Eye Radio Friday.

“When we talk of childhood adversities, where you’re growing up when there is child abuse, you are being exposed to toxicity in your family life. That one can be a risk factor, especially for children that are growing,” he added.

“Another risk factor, you see we have talked of stress here like something normal. But when you are having a series of stresses that are growing every day. And they turn into chronic stress, so I think these things will up causing some illnesses later.”

“When you are trying to think about a lot of things, it is one of the risk factors.”

According to the World Health Organization, a mental disorder is characterized by a significant disturbance in an individual’s reasoning, emotional regulation, or behavior.

It is usually associated with distress or impairment in important areas of brain function.

For his part, Ade Majur, who is also a mental health expert says children who have seen their parents fighting are more likely to emulate a culture of violence in their adult lives.

“You find certain people are getting so angry that they feel a certain lump in their chest. They feel that ‘my chest is tight and all of that’ and all this stuff are the products of our environment,” said Dr. Majur.

“It is the environment that we grow up in and how we interact. When you grow up in a home where you see your father is constantly beating your mother and you are a child and you see that every day.”

“You are going to normalize that and that is going to affect you in a way that you learn to be an aggressive person, that is a way of expressing your love. You have to be an aggressive person because that’s what you have seen.”

In 2019, 1 in every 8 people, or 970 million people around the world were living with a mental disorder, with anxiety and depressive disorders the most common.

In 2020, the number of people living with anxiety and depressive disorders rose significantly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While effective prevention and treatment options exist, most people with mental disorders do not have access to effective care.

Many people also experience stigma, discrimination, and violations of human rights.