{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T01:54:02Z","timestamp":1785462842566,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,11]],"date-time":"2025-11-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1762819200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":314,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["cambridge.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Camb. prisms Glob. ment. health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>For nearly three decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has endured armed conflict that has devastated its population, leaving a staggering number of survivors of sexual violence. This article draws on over a decade of clinical, academic and field experience to explore the psychosocial and public health challenges of caring for these survivors. Despite the high prevalence of post-traumatic disorders \u2013 often severe and complex \u2013 the mental health system remains gravely under-resourced. The article examines gaps in mental health services, highlights the clinical intricacies of trauma resulting from rape (including complex PTSD and dissociation) and critiques the uncritical export of Western therapeutic models to African contexts. Emphasizing the need for culturally grounded, integrative care, the author advocates for community-based, trauma-informed, inclusive and context-sensitive approaches that bridge clinical science and local healing traditions. This holistic vision is essential for restoring dignity and mental health to survivors and for building a resilient public health infrastructure in the DRC.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,11]],"date-time":"2025-11-11T09:41:39Z","timestamp":1762854099000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/policypage","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A mental health emergency: A clinical and cultural response to sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9629-516X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Achille","family":"Bapolisi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Bukavu"},{"name":"H\u00f4pital Provincial G\u00e9n\u00e9ral de R\u00e9f\u00e9rence de Bukavu"},{"name":"Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"S2054425125100873_r6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13623699.2021.1882365"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/PSY.0000000000001225"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-020-2480-1"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2471\/BLT.20.269050"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1353\/hrq.2011.0005"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r3","first-page":"97","article-title":"Challenges and perspectives in the psychosocial management of victims of gender-based violence in refugee camps","volume":"147","author":"Bapolisi","year":"2017","journal-title":"Medicus Mundi Switzerland MMS"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jts.2490100403"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r9","volume-title":"IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings","volume":"2006","year":"2006"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jrs\/feae003"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2010.1086"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1752-1505-6-6"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r25","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2015). Mental Health Atlas 2014. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/handle\/10665\/178879 (accessed 10 March 2023)."},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r18","volume-title":"mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG): Clinical Management of Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Conditions in Humanitarian Emergencies","year":"2015"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511543609.010"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brat.2019.103482"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r16","unstructured":"M\u00e9decin sans fronti\u00e8res (2021) Rapport Terrain Msf: L\u2019urgence D\u2019une R\u00e9ponse Globale Aux Besoins des Survivants De Violences Sexuelles En R\u00e9publique D\u00e9mocratique Du Congo. https:\/\/www.resdal.org\/wps_fr\/assets\/rapport_unfpa_final.pdf. Available at https:\/\/www.msf-azg.be\/sites\/default\/files\/imce\/2021_07_13_MSF%20RDC_RAPPORT%20VIOLENCES%20SEXUELLES%20(FR)%20(1).pdf (accessed 2024)."},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5040\/9781350222557"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/etho.12392"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nrdp.2015.57"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S2045796017000075"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r17","volume-title":"Healthcare","author":"Okoroafor","year":"2023"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r12","unstructured":"Kighoma, JM (2013) Ampleur Des Violences Sexuelles en RDC et Actions de Lutte Contre le Phenomena de 2011 \u00e0 2012."},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r24","first-page":"Cd002795","article-title":"Pharmacotherapy for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)","volume":"3","author":"Williams","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r1","volume-title":"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5","year":"2013"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-65412-7"},{"key":"S2054425125100873_r8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4088\/JCP.20r13584"}],"container-title":["Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/services\/aop-cambridge-core\/content\/view\/S2054425125100873","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T10:44:03Z","timestamp":1781174643000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/product\/identifier\/S2054425125100873\/type\/journal_article"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025]]},"references-count":26,"alternative-id":["S2054425125100873"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087","relation":{"has-review":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr3","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr2","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr5","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr4","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr1","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr7","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr6","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr9","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1017\/gmh.2025.10087.pr8","asserted-by":"object"}]},"ISSN":["2054-4251"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2054-4251","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025]]},"assertion":[{"value":"\u00a9 The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press","name":"copyright","label":"Copyright","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.","name":"license","label":"License","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This content has been made available to all.","name":"free","label":"Free to read"}],"article-number":"e133"}}