More than 60 Percent of Women Returning from Iran Face Severe Mental Health Crisis
- Ariahn Raya
- Aug 23
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 11
“Ending life may be better than being imprisoned at home”
New findings by Zan News show that more than 60 percent of women and girls who were forcibly deported from Iran and returned to Afghanistan in the past three months are suffering from severe psychological and mental health problems.
These results are based on a field study in which 200 returned women and girls in three border provinces of the country, including Farah, Herat, and Nimroz, were directly interviewed. In each of these provinces, around 67 returned women were questioned.
Women who responded to Zan News interviews mostly spoke about feelings of helplessness, deep sadness, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and lack of motivation to continue living.
The findings show that these psychological problems began immediately after deportation and, with the passing of weeks, not only have not decreased but in most cases have even intensified.
Gulsum, a 22-year-old girl in Nimroz who has returned to the country, says:
“In Iran, despite the difficulties, I imagined a future for myself, but now I am in a house where I am not even allowed to go outside. Every day I think what is the point of this life, three times I decided to commit suicide but I did not succeed, ending life may be better than being imprisoned at home.”
Among those who were interviewed, teenage and young girls are more exposed to psychological harm than others.
Doctors in clinics in Herat and Farah also confirm that most of the visitors suffering from psychological problems are girls between 14 and 27 years old. According to them, these girls come to health centers with symptoms such as severe depression, insomnia, chronic anxiety, identity disorder, and suicidal thoughts.
Dr. Zarmina, a psychologist in Herat, says:
“The increase in these visitors is worrying. In the past three months, we have faced a wave of girls whose lives have completely collapsed after returning. They do not see a future for themselves because they have lost their school, work, and freedom.”
According to the data of this research, the main reasons for the deterioration of the mental health of returned women are:
Forced return without preparation to an unsafe and unstable country
Lack of supportive, economic, and psychological facilities after return
Restrictive policies of the Taliban that have severely limited women’s individual freedoms
Marzia, a student who studied up to the tenth grade in Iran and now lives in Farah after forced deportation, tells Zan News:
“In Iran, I was studying and had dreams for my future, but now I am not even allowed to leave the house. Only at night I think about how to end my life.”
According to the data of this research, most of the interviewees have either had suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide, and fortunately were saved with the help of their family members or friends.
Farida Mohammadi, a middle-aged woman who was deported from Iran and now lives in Herat with her disabled husband, says that she has attempted suicide four times but has not succeeded in ending her life.
She adds:
“I swear to God I tried to kill myself four times, I am tired of this life, with whatever I find I want to free myself from this life, because I have nothing, there is no work for me, my children ask for bread and food, my husband cannot work, where can I go, we have no shelter.”
Zan News in this research has systematically collected data through face-to-face interviews, structured questionnaires, and experimental psychological analysis with the cooperation of specialist consultants.
Main Statistics of the Research
Out of 200 returned women:
More than 60% (that is 165 individuals) directly spoke about experiencing psychological disorders.
18% (that is 36 individuals) have attempted self-harm or suicide at least once.
93% (that is 186 individuals) said that after returning, they have completely lost their sense of hope for the future.
Despite warnings from specialists, so far no governmental or non-governmental institution has launched a comprehensive program of psychotherapy, counseling, or empowerment for this vulnerable group.
This report is the voice of women who have been forgotten; women who, although they have crossed the border, live with the border of pain, loneliness, and anxiety. Women who breathe only for survival.
