Hello, I'm Suzan Song,
Director of the Division of Child,
Adolescent, and Family Psychiatry
of George Washington University,
and a Humanitarian Protecting Advisor
for survivors of forced displacement
globally and domestically.
There has been an unprecedent surge
in the number
of displaced people worldwide,
including refugees, asylum seekers,
undocumented immigrants
and unaccompanied minors.
Around the world,
more than 65 million people
are currently displaced
by war, armed conflict or persecution.
As of early 2018, almost 31 million
children worldwide
were displaced by violence and conflict.
If these current turns continue,
one in one hundred people will
be a refugee in near future.
Unfortunately, most refugees and
survivors of force-displacement
will not receive needed mental
health care.
due to discrecy of services, lack of
access of qualified care,
and stigma against mental disorders.
Refugees are those who fled
their country urgent
due to well-funded fear of
persecution.
based on race, religion, nationality,
political opinion
or membership on a particular
social group.
Worse refugees request protection
all overseas
are given permission to enter the US.
People seeking asylum also have
well-funded fear persecution.
But the basic protection well
inside the US.
Refugees and other conflict defected
person are reported to have fifteen
to thirty percent prevalence PTSD and
depression,
compare to the 3.5% of prevalence of PTSD
among non-refugee populations.
The strongest predictor support
mental health
are exposure to torture and a cue of
number traumatic events.
But torture, separation from family,
stressful asylum processes,
isolation and disadvantage in the host
country
all worsen mental health.
The post-migration environment may prolong
detention.
Insecure immigration status,
poor access of services and limitation
on work
and education can worsen mental health.
These do not provide the full scope of
emotional issues
that many conflict defected person face
including complicated grief,
complex trauma,
despair, isolation, anger and lack
of trust.
Many people are experiencing
normal responses
to vary abnormal experiences.
Over time, most refugees shall low or
no symptoms
a small number show pattern of gradual
recovery
and a small minority remain chronic.
So we need to evaluate the distinction
between situational forms of distress
and a clear mental disorder for refugees.
We do this by focusing on a dynamic
interplay of exposure
to past magnific experiences
on going daily stressors
and the core psycho social
system that one is invented in.
A psychiatrist can help this population
with culturally
competent clinical work
with refugees and asylum seekers.
At the policy level by conducting
asylum evaluations
and at the advocacy level by
promoting equity of access
sustainability of services for refugees
and forcibly displaces people.
And by partnering with
inter-disciplinary community member
such as lawyers, educators and
policy makers
to provide a safe system for
which refugee and survivor
of forced displacement can rely on.