Scarred by decades of war, social problems and poverty, more than 60 per cent of Afghans suffer from stress disorders and mental health problems, officials say.

"This is a major problem," Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan's acting public health minister, told a ceremony in Kabul on World Mental Health Day on Sunday. "More than 60 per cent of Afghans are suffering from stress disorders and mental problems."

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

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

The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that more than 60 per cent of Afghans, mostly women, suffer from psychosocial problems or mental disorders.