Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health

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 30 million children worldwide were
displaced by violence and conflict.

If these current turns continue, one on one hundred
people will be refugee in near future.

And unfortunately, most refugee and survivors of force displacement will not received needed mental health care.

due to discrecy of services, lack of access of qualified care, and stigma against mental disorder.

Refugee are those who fled their country urgent due to well funded fear persecution.

based on face, religion, nationality, political opinion
or membership on particular social group.

Worse refugee request protection all overseas
are given permission to enter the US.

People seeking asylum also have a 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 prevailance PTSD and depression,

compare to the 3.5% of prevailance of PTSD among non refugee
population.

The strongest predictor support mental health are exposure to torture and a cue of number traumatic events.

But torture, separation from family, stressful silent 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 are 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 experience.

of normal experiences

Overtime, most refugee shall low or no symptoms

a small number show pattern of gradual recovery
and small minority remain chronic.

So we need to evaluate the distinction between situational
form of distress

and a clear mental disorder for refugees.

We do this by focusing on a dynamic interplay of exposure
to past magnific experience

on going daily stressors and the core psychosocial
system that one is invented in.

Psychiatrist can help this population with culturally
competent clinical work

with refugee and asylum seekers.

At policy level by conducting asylum evaluation and at
the advocacy level by promoting equity of access

sustainability of services for refugee and
forcibly displaces people.

And by partnering inter disiplinary community member such as lawyer, educators and policy makers

to provide system for with refugee and survivor of
force displacement can rely on.