Background According to the World Health Organization, approximately 280 million individuals worldwide suffer from depression. One occupational group that is more prone to mental health issues is healthcare workers (HCWs). However, very little is known about the mental health of HCWs in Afghanistan. Therefore, the present study examined depression, quality of life (QOL), and related factors among Afghan HCWs. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered in June 2022 among healthcare workers (N = 299) in the Herat province of Afghanistan. The survey examined depression, its risk factors and predictors among HCWs. Results Of the 299 participants, 73.6% of them reported depression symptoms. Low monthly income, working in a private hospital, and being a cigarette smoker were some of the main variables associated with depression symptoms among Afghan HCWs. Multiple regression analysis indicated that field of work (aOR = 3.774, p = 0.0048), monthly income (aOR = 0.746, p = 0.0088), job type (aOR = 8.970, p < 0.0001), cigarette smoking (aOR = 2.955, p = 0.0069), a bad event happening during the past month (aOR = 2.433, p = 0.0157), physical domain of quality of life (aOR = 0.966, p = 0.0186), and psychological domain of quality of life (aOR = 0.950, p = 0.0005) were significantly associated with depression symptoms. Conclusion The prevalence of depression symptoms is high among healthcare workers in the Herat province of Afghanistan. One of the variables found to have a major impact on the prevalence of depression was their monthly income. Considering its impact on quality of life and the overall quality of healthcare services, the government should implement regular screening for depression, psychological counselling services, and psychiatric treatment for vulnerable healthcare workers.

Background: Health literacy has been defined as the ability to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health. The significance of mental health literacy (MHL)is evolving as a modifiable contributing factor to mental health. This study was undertaken to assess the awareness and attitudes of Afghans on mental disorders. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered in August 2022 among Afghans (N=768) living in the Herat province of Afghanistan. The survey examined knowledge and attitude of participants on mental disorders. Results: Generally, most of the participants (99.1%) had poor mental health literacy. 99.4% of participants with an age range of 36-90 years had poor mental health literacy. Almost three-quarter of the participants had poor knowledge of the ability to recognize disorders (72.5%). Less than one-thirds of the participants had good knowledge of where to seek information (29.4%). Conclusion: Mental health literacy rate was found very low among Afghan population. Socio-economic variables found significantly associated with MHL was educational level, economic status, and employment status. Considering the high prevalence of mental disorders in Afghanistan, the government and related non-governmental organizations should implement awareness campaign to increase the knowledge of Afghan people on mental disorders.