Amira is a refugee whose parents were uprooted from a village near Ashkelon to Gaza in 1948. She is intelligent and did well in school, but life in the Gaza Strip has left its mark.

One day in 1973 when she was 18, she came back from the market to find her house surrounded by Israeli soldiers. They shot her husband in front her eyes. Then they put her in prison for nearly two years, first in the Gaza Central Prison, where she spent the first three months of her detention, and then in El-Ramla prison for another 19 months.

The assassination of her husband and subsequent imprisonment left invisible scars that would take years to surface and even longer to resolve. In prison, not only was she subjected to physical and psychological torture - deprivation of food, isolation, no toilet facilities, beatings around the head and body, electrocution, and being in a dark cell - but she was verbally and physically humiliated, as well as witnessing the torture of others. She was in a circle of relentless violence, the effects of which stayed with her damaged long after she left prison.

After her release, she got married again, had a daughter, and tried to lead a normal life. But the wounds were too deep. The marriage failed; she was divorced and went back to living with her family. Her daughter expressed sadness that her mother paid her scant attention, saying that she felt as if she didn't have a mother at all.

When Amira first came to our clinic, her black eyes were restless. They had a far-away look in them, as if she was watching something that no one else could see. She found it difficult to sit still, moving backwards and forwards constantly. She is 46 years old, but looks much older, worn out by all the tragedies she has witnessed, and all the brutality she has been subjected to.

Before GCMHP, traditional healers and seeking treatment in psychiatric hospitals did not improve her condition. She exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia - auditory hallucinations, disorganized speech, aggressive behavior, neglecting self care, and sleep disturbances. She lost interest in all usual activities and became more and more socially isolated, although she did not recognize that she had a problem. Furthermore, she began to suffer from enuresis.

In GCMHP, she underwent psychiatric examinations and was given psychotherapy both at home and at the clinic, plus tangible support with trained community health care professionals and family counseling. Anti-psychotic medication was also prescribed to her.

Since then there has been a significant improvement. Her aggressive behavior has declined, and she has begun to function socially. The bed-wetting has stopped, and she has started to take an interest in herself and the world around her. Best of all, she has begun to take an interest in her daughter, starting to give her the attention which she was denied for most of her formative years.

Her Therapist will implement the therapeutic plan designed by the medical team that will be provided to her for the next two years. Amira and her therapist have regular discussions on her condition, and when she can be referred to the Occupational Therapy unit to help her acquire skills and knowledge to restart her life. A combination of this continued therapy, skills training, and long-term medication, will enable her to take care of herself and maintain her positive skills.