scholarly journals Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Syrians affected by armed conflict

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Hassan ◽  
P. Ventevogel ◽  
H. Jefee-Bahloul ◽  
A. Barkil-Oteo ◽  
L. J. Kirmayer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Psychosocial Wellbeing ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The United Nations

Aims.This paper is based on a report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which aims to provide information on cultural aspects of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing relevant to care and support for Syrians affected by the crisis. This paper aims to inform mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) staff of the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing issues facing Syrians who are internally displaced and Syrian refugees.Methods.We conducted a systematic literature search designed to capture clinical, social science and general literature examining the mental health of the Syrian population. The main medical, psychological and social sciences databases (e.g. Medline, PubMed, PsycInfo) were searched (until July 2015) in Arabic, English and French language sources. This search was supplemented with web-based searches in Arabic, English and French media, and in assessment reports and evaluations, by nongovernmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations and agencies of the United Nations. This search strategy should not be taken as a comprehensive review of all issues related to MHPSS of Syrians as some unpublished reports and evaluations were not reviewed.Results.Conflict affected Syrians may experience a wide range of mental health problems including (1) exacerbations of pre-existing mental disorders; (2) new problems caused by conflict related violence, displacement and multiple losses; as well as (3) issues related to adaptation to the post-emergency context, for example living conditions in the countries of refuge. Some populations are particularly vulnerable such as men and women survivors of sexual or gender based violence, children who have experienced violence and exploitation and Syrians who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex. Several factors influence access to MHPSS services including language barriers, stigma associated with seeking mental health care and the power dynamics of the helping relationship. Trust and collaboration can be maximised by ensuring a culturally safe environment, respectful of diversity and based on mutual respect, in which the perspectives of clients and their families can be carefully explored.Conclusions.Sociocultural knowledge and cultural competency can improve the design and delivery of interventions to promote mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Syrians affected by armed conflict and displacement, both within Syria and in countries hosting refugees from Syria.

scholarly journals Observations on the mental health of a civilian population living under long-term hostilities

2000 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Tobin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Buffer Zone ◽  
Government Control ◽  
The South ◽  
Civilian Population ◽  
Military Conflict ◽  
The United Nations

The civilian population of southern Lebanon has endured military conflict, civil war, and two invasions since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948. Currently part of the south is under Israeli occupation forming a buffer zone between Israel and the hostile forces of the Hizbollah and Amal militias. The Israeli Defence Forces are aided by the South Lebanese Army which is the remnants of a Christian militia. The Hizbollah is supported by Iran and Syria and is the dominant force outside the occupation zone. In the south of Lebanon there is a United Nations mandate force which is attempting to return Lebanese government control over the south, decrease hostilities, protect the civilian population and provide humanitarian aid. This is part of the humanitarian mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that I had the opportunity to observe and to treat the mental health problems of the civilian population who were living under long-term artillery bombardment and living with continuous fluctuating conflict. Under such circumstances, rigorous scientific methodology in assessing the mental health of the population is extremely difficult. In order to operate effectively, as well as my own rudimentary Arabic, a translator was required. A translator does more than just translate language they also translate custom, culture and provide a valuable source of local information. Utilising my own observations and those of my valued translator, Basima, I did my best to assess how the civilian population coped with what was difficult circumstances. These assessments are value laden and I suppose are in many ways personal. My position as a military psychiatrist in the United Nations allowed me access to both the occupation zone and unoccupied Lebanon.

scholarly journals The culture, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Rohingya refugees: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 489-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Tay ◽  
A. Riley ◽  
R. Islam ◽  
C. Welton-Mitchell ◽  
B. Duchesne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Idioms Of Distress ◽  
Psychosocial Wellbeing ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviour

AbstractAimsDespite the magnitude and protracted nature of the Rohingya refugee situation, there is limited information on the culture, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of this group. This paper, drawing on a report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the literature on mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Rohingya refugees, including an examination of associated cultural factors. The ultimate objective is to assist humanitarian actors and agencies in providing culturally relevant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Rohingya refugees displaced to Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search across multiple sources of information with reference to the contextual, social, economic, cultural, mental health and health-related factors amongst Rohingya refugees living in the Asia-Pacific and other regions. The search covered online databases of diverse disciplines (e.g. medicine, psychology, anthropology), grey literature, as well as unpublished reports from non-profit organisations and United Nations agencies published until 2018.ResultsThe legacy of prolonged exposure to conflict and persecution compounded by protracted conditions of deprivations and displacement is likely to increase the refugees' vulnerability to wide array of mental health problems including posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. High rates of sexual and gender-based violence, lack of privacy and safe spaces and limited access to integrated psychosocial and mental health support remain issues of concern within the emergency operation in Bangladesh. Another challenge is the limited understanding amongst the MHPSS personnel in Bangladesh and elsewhere of the language, culture and help-seeking behaviour of Rohingya refugees. While the Rohingya language has a considerable vocabulary for emotional and behavioural problems, there is limited correspondence between these Rohingya terms and western concepts of mental disorders. This hampers the provision of culturally sensitive and contextually relevant MHPSS services to these refugees.ConclusionsThe knowledge about the culture, context, migration history, idioms of distress, help-seeking behaviour and traditional healing methods, obtained from diverse sources can be applied in the design and delivery of culturally appropriate interventions. Attention to past exposure to traumatic events and losses need to be paired with attention for ongoing stressors and issues related to worries about the future. It is important to design MHPSS interventions in ways that mobilise the individual and collective strengths of Rohingya refugees and build on their resilience.

scholarly journals Why it’s time to stop saying “mental illness”:  A commentary on the revision of the Irish Mental Health Act

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Malcolm MacLachlan ◽  
Rebecca Murphy ◽  
Michael Daly ◽  
Philip Hyland
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
World Health ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Mental Health Act ◽  
The United Nations

The Irish Mental Health Act (2001) is undergoing revision.  In 2014 an Expert Review Group recommended that the term currently used in the act “mental disorder”, should be replaced with the term “mental illness”.  We argue that the proposed change, while well intentioned, contradicts the internationally adopted terminology of “mental disorder” used by the United Nations, World Health Organisation and European Commission. The term “mental illness” is atavistic, it implies an unsupported cause, it contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and it is associated with concerns regarding stigma and reduced self-efficacy.  Furthermore, the term “mental illness” is not used in any internationally accepted diagnostic or classification system in the mental health field. While any term used to describe mental health problems, may be contested, Ireland should not revert to using archaic terminology.  In accordance with international best practice, and perhaps in lieu of a willingness to accept more progressive alternatives, Ireland should continue to use cause-neutral terminology, such as “mental disorder”, in the revised Mental Health Act.

scholarly journals Sexual and gender-based violence in areas of armed conflict: a systematic review of mental health and psychosocial support interventions

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wietse A Tol ◽  
Vivi Stavrou ◽  
M Claire Greene ◽  
Christina Mergenthaler ◽  
Mark van Ommeren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender

scholarly journals Mental health and psychosocial support interventions for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence during armed conflict: a systematic review

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wietse A. Tol ◽  
Vivi Stavrou ◽  
M. Claire Greene ◽  
Christina Mergenthaler ◽  
Claudia Garcia-Moreno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender

scholarly journals International Law, COVID-19 and Feminist Engagement with the United Nations Security Council: The End of the Affair?

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-328
Author(s):  
Catherine O’Rourke
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
International Law ◽  
Security Council ◽  
United Nations Security Council ◽  
Care Work ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Seminal Contribution ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Gender Based

AbstractThe gendered implications of COVID-19, in particular in terms of gender-based violence and the gendered division of care work, have secured some prominence, and ignited discussion about prospects for a ‘feminist recovery’. In international law terms, feminist calls for a response to the pandemic have privileged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), conditioned—I argue—by two decades of the pursuit of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda through the UNSC. The deficiencies of the UNSC response, as characterised by the Resolution 2532 adopted to address the pandemic, manifest yet again the identified deficiencies of the WPS agenda at the UNSC, namely fragmentation, securitisation, efficacy and legitimacy. What Resolution 2532 does bring, however, is new clarity about the underlying reasons for the repeated and enduring nature of these deficiencies at the UNSC. Specifically, the COVID-19 ‘crisis’ is powerful in exposing the deficiencies of the crisis framework in which the UNSC operates. My reflections draw on insights from Hilary Charlesworth’s seminal contribution ‘International Law: A Discipline of Crisis’ to argue that, instead of conceding the ‘crisis’ framework to the pandemic by prioritising the UNSC, a ‘feminist recovery’ must instead follow Charlesworth’s exhortation to refocus on an international law of the everyday.

scholarly journals A Walk-In Clinic for Newly Arrived Mentally Burdened Refugees: The Patient Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2275
Author(s):  
Catharina Zehetmair ◽  
Valentina Zeyher ◽  
Anna Cranz ◽  
Beate Ditzen ◽  
Sabine C. Herpertz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
High Level ◽  
Past Experiences

Providing refugees with psychosocial support is particularly important considering the high level of mental health problems prevalent in this population. A psychosocial walk-in clinic operating within a state reception and registration center in Germany has been supporting mentally burdened refugees since 2016. This study focused on patients’ perspectives on their mental health burden, the psychosocial walk-in clinic, and future help seeking. We conducted interviews with n = 22 refugees attending the walk-in clinic from March to May 2019. Qualitative analysis focused on the following four topics: (1) mental burden from the patients’ perspective, (2) access to the psychosocial walk-in clinic, (3) perception of counseling sessions, and (4) perception of follow-up treatment. The results show that the majority of interviewees were burdened by psychological and somatic complaints, mostly attributed to past experiences and post-migratory stress. Therapeutic counseling and psychiatric medication were found to be particularly helpful. Most of the participants felt motivated to seek further psychosocial support. Key barriers to seeking psychosocial help included shame, fear of stigma, and lack of information. Overall, the psychosocial walk-in clinic is a highly valued support service for newly arrived refugees with mental health issues.

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