34. Abu Hein, F. Mental Health of Ex-political Prisoners in the Gaza Strip. Gaza: Gaza Community Mental Health Program, Undated: 5 pp.

An assessment of physical, psychological and social problems experienced by ex-political prisoners in the Gaza Strip as a result of torture during detention and interrogation by Israeli forces. The study sample consists of 127 freed political prisoners aged between 18 and 40 years who have spent at least two years in prison and were released within six months prior to the study.

Eighteen percent of the sampled prisoners were subjected to physical and psychological torture for less than one week, 41% up to two weeks, 14% between 3 and 5 weeks and 14% for more than five weeks.

Symptoms associated with torture include:
-Physical illnesses associated with the testicles (26%), stomach ailments (13%) and difficulty in breathing (12%).
-Psychological problems such as paranoid reactions (46%), psychosomatic conditions (32%), extreme nervousness (19%), anxiety and depression (17%) and psychogenic headaches (16%).
-Social and marital adjustment problems such as isolation, child abuse, loss of security and violence.