scholarly journals The Social Determinants of Refugee Mental Health in the Post-Migration Context: A Critical Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 297-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Hynie
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Refugee Mental Health ◽  
Migration Trauma ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers ◽  
The Impact

With the global increase in the number of refugees and asylum seekers, mental health professionals have become more aware of the need to understand and respond to the mental health needs of forced migrants. This critical review summarizes the findings of recent systematic reviews and primary research on the impact of post-migration conditions on mental disorders and PTSD among refugees and asylum seekers. Historically, the focus of mental health research and interventions with these populations has been on the impact of pre-migration trauma. Pre-migration trauma does predict mental disorders and PTSD, but the post-migration context can be an equally powerful determinant of mental health. Moreover, post-migration factors may moderate the ability of refugees to recover from pre-migration trauma. The importance of post-migration stressors to refugee mental health suggests the need for therapeutic interventions with psychosocial elements that address the broader conditions of refugee and asylum seekers’ lives. However, there are few studies of multimodal interventions with refugees, and even fewer with control conditions that allow for conclusions about their effectiveness. These findings are interpreted using a social determinants of health framework that connects the risk and protective factors in the material and social conditions of refugees’ post-migration lives to broader social, economic and political factors.

Overcoming the deficiency of refugee mental health research

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Kalfic ◽  
Glenn Mitchell ◽  
Lezanne Ooi ◽  
Sibylle Schwab ◽  
Natalie Matosin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Scientific Discovery ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Psychiatric Research ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Refugee Mental Health ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

The growing number of refugees and asylum seekers are one of the most significant global challenges of this generation. We are currently witnessing the highest level of displacement in history, with over 65 million displaced people in the world. Refugees and asylum seekers are at higher risk to develop mental illness due to their trauma and chronic stress exposures, and particularly post-migration stressors. Yet global and Australian psychiatric research in this area is greatly lacking, particularly with respect to our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of risk and resilience to mental illness in traumatised populations. In this Viewpoint, we explore the reasons behind the lack of refugee mental health research and use this context to propose new ways forward. We believe that scientific discovery performed with a multidisciplinary approach will provide the broad evidence-base required to improve refugee mental health. This will also allow us to work towards the removal of damaging policies that prolong and potentiate mental health deterioration among refugees and asylum seekers, which impacts not only on the individuals but also host countries’ social, economic and healthcare systems.

Providing Care for Migrants and Refugees

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S35-S35
Author(s):  
M. Schouler-Ocak
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Common Mental Health Problems ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

With growing globalisation and an increasing number of people on the move across boundaries, it has become vital that service providers, policy makers and mental health professionals are aware of the different needs of the patients they are responsible. One of the most fundamental barriers for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in accessing health services are inadequate legal entitlement and, mechanisms for ensuring that they are well known and respected in practice. Access to the healthcare system is impeded by language and cultural communication problems. Qualified language and cultural mediators are not widely available, and moreover, are not regularly asked to attend. This can lead to misunderstandings, misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment, with serious consequences for the afflicted. The language barrier represents one of the main barriers to access to the healthcare system for people who do not speak the local language; indeed, language is the main working tool of psychiatry and psychotherapy, without which successful communication is impossible. Additionally, the lack of health literacy among the staff of institutions, which provide care for refugees and asylum seekers means that there is a lack of knowledge about the main symptoms of common mental health problems among these groups. The healthcare services, which are currently available, are not well prepared for these increasing specific groups. In dealing with ethnic minorities, including asylum seekers and refugees, mental healthcare professionals need to be culturally competent.In this talk, main models for providing mental health care for migrants and refugees will be presented and discussed.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.

Social determinants and health-related needs of pregnant refugees and asylum seekers

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-351
Author(s):  
Sandra Claudia Gewalt ◽  
Sarah Berger ◽  
Kayvan Bozorgmehr
Keyword(s):  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Early Motherhood ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers ◽  
Provision Of Care ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Migration experience and applying for asylum create unique health challenges for pregnant women and new mothers. Understanding the impact of social determinants of health on refugees and asylum seekers during pregnancy and early motherhood is important for equity and access to care. The World Health Organization’s framework on social determinants of health can serve research groups in strategically focusing their resources when investigating health needs, access to and provision of care.

scholarly journals Refugees, the asylum system and mental healthcare in Ireland

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly O'Connell ◽  
Richard Duffy ◽  
Niall Crumlish
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Refugee Status ◽  
Current Health ◽  
Refugee Mental Health ◽  
Service Policy ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

The number of people seeking refugee status in Ireland is increasing year on year and the burden of mental illness experienced by refugees and asylum seekers is high. The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has recommended the establishment of a number of specialist refugee mental health teams. In this paper we discuss the Irish asylum system, the Irish evidence regarding mental illness in this population, and current health service policy regarding refugee mental health. We propose a model of specialist refugee mental healthcare delivery.

Treatment of mental health problems in refugees and asylum seekers

2018 ◽  
pp. 289-304
Author(s):  
Giulia Cossu ◽  
Antonio Preti ◽  
Mauro Giovanni Carta
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Care Process ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Network Support ◽  
War Zones ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

Refugees from war zones and asylum seekers are exposed to a wide range of traumas, including persecution, humiliation, gender-based violence, human rights violations, and significant family losses. This results in a statistically higher risk of trauma-related mental disorders. However, refugees and asylum seekers are a heterogeneous population, as far as their gender, age, ethnic, cultural, educational and socio-economic background are concerned. There is no certainty that the Western-centred therapies will be effective in the treatment of the trauma-related mental disorders of refugees and asylum seekers. This chapter summarizes the currently available evidence on the mental health of refugees from war zones and asylum seekers, focusing in particular on the results of randomized controlled trials of psychosocial and other non-conventional interventions applied to refugees and asylum seekers. Culturally sensitive approaches, which activate same-cultural community network support, are more likely to contribute to the effectiveness of the care process.

The impact of racism and discrimination on mental health of refugees and asylum seekers

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S43-S43 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kastrup
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers ◽  
The Impact

With the strong focus on terrorism in recent years, there is an increasing concern that the fundamental rights of refugees and asylum seekers may be violated in the interest to combat acts of terrorism. It may also lead to increasing racism and discrimination towards these populations.Racism and discrimination encompass the negative stereotypes and prejudicial beliefs that people may hold, as well as inequitable practices that may result hereof.Knowledge about the mental health consequences of racism and discrimination is of clear clinical relevance for psychiatrists worldwide, as a significant proportion of psychiatric patients will have a background as refugees and asylum seekers. Many of them have experiences of war, strife, persecution and torture that further ads to their mental distress.The paper will outline the psychiatric symptomatology related to racism as well as ethical dilemmas and educational needs for the psychiatric profession.Further the role of national psychiatric associations in combating racism and discrimination by e.g. defining best practices and revising medical training curricula will be outlined.http://www.mariannekastrup.dk/Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Strategies to Fight Stigma toward People with Mental Disorders: Perspectives from Different Stakeholders

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Corbière ◽  
Esther Samson ◽  
Patrizia Villotti ◽  
Jean-François Pelletier
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Experiential Knowledge ◽  
Clinical Knowledge ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to provide a more complete and exhaustive perspective on the whole range of potential strategies to fight stigma by considering the perspectives of different stakeholders. Delegates to a Canadian conference were invited to participate in a survey that focused on stigma, from which the responses to the following question were analyzed: tell us briefly what you do to reduce prejudice and stigma toward people with a diagnosis of mental disorder? From 253 participants, 15 categories of strategies to fight stigma were identified from the verbatim (e.g., sharing/encouraging disclosure). These categories fell under six main themes: education, contact, protestation, person centered, working on recovery and social inclusion, and reflexive consciousness. The occurrence of these themes was different among stakeholders (clinical, organizational, and experiential knowledge). For example, people with mental disorders (experiential knowledge) often mentioned contact and person centered strategies, while mental health professionals (clinical knowledge) preferred education and working on recovery and social inclusion strategies. The results from this study highlight the need to pay more attention to the concept of disclosure of mental disorders in the process for de-stigmatization. Future studies are needed to assess the impact of the emerging strategies to fight stigma in the community.

The impact of economic crisis on mental and physical health in Italy

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (02) ◽  
pp. 103-110
Author(s):  
S. Tomassi ◽  
M. Ruggeri
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Great Recession ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Behavioural Disorders ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Summary Background: The global crisis that began in 2007 has been the most prolonged economic recession since 1929. It has caused worldwide tangible costs in terms of cuts in employment and income, which have been widely recognised also as major social determinants of mental health (1, 2). The so-called “Great Recession” has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable part of society of the whole Eurozone (3). Across Europe, an increase in suicides and deaths rates due to mental and behavioural disorders was reported among those who lost their jobs, houses and economic activities as a consequence of the crisis.

What Gives a Diagnostic Label Value? Common Use Over Informativeness

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Hemmatian ◽  
Sze Yu Yu Chan ◽  
Steven A. Sloman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Causal Relation ◽  
Causal Beliefs ◽  
Diagnostic Categories ◽  
Diagnostic Labels ◽  
Diagnostic Label ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

A label’s entrenchment, its degree of use by members of a community, affects its perceived explanatory value even if the label provides no substantive information (Hemmatian & Sloman, 2018). In three experiments, we show that laypersons and mental health professionals see entrenched psychiatric and non-psychiatric diagnostic labels as better explanations than non-entrenched labels even if they are circular. Using scenarios involving experts who discuss unfamiliar diagnostic categories, we show that this preference is not due to violations of conversational norms, lack of reflectiveness or attentiveness, and the characters’ familiarity or unfamiliarity with the label. In Experiment 1, whether a label provided novel symptom information or not had no impact on lay responses, while its entrenchment enhanced ratings of explanation quality. The effect persisted in Experiment 2 for causally incoherent categories and regardless of direct provision of mechanistic information. The effect of entrenchment was partly related to induced causal beliefs about the category, even when participants were informed there is no causal relation. Most participants in both experiments did not report any effect of entrenchment and the effect was present for those who did not. In Experiment 3, mental health professionals showed the effect using diagnoses that were mere shorthands for symptoms, despite a tendency to rate all explanations as unsatisfactory. The data suggest that bringing experts’ attention to the manipulation eliminates the effect. We discuss practical implications for mental health disciplines and potential ways to mitigate the impact of entrenchment.

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