KABUL-- Scarred by decades of war, social problems and poverty, more than 60 percent of Afghans suffer from stress disorders and mental health problems, a top health official said Sunday.

"This is a major problem," Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan's acting public health minister told a ceremony in Kabul to mark World Mental Health Day.

"More than 60 percent of Afghans are suffering from stress disorders and mental problems," she said.

The picture is particularly grim in parts of the country where Dalil said government healthcare workers are unable to provide basic services because of an ongoing Taliban insurgency.

"Extreme poverty, insecurity, violence and gender disparities are the major factors contributing to worsening mental health in Afghanistan," Dalil said.

Women and children are at particular risk from stress disorders and mental problems in a country which has suffered more than three decades of war and has an illiteracy rate of over 70 percent.

Treatment is difficult because there are only a handful of mental health professionals in Afghanistan.

"There are only 200 beds for psychiatric services in the country, with only two psychiatrists in the country covering the entire population," said World Health Organization representative Peter Graaff.