Refugee WellbeingMental Health & Addictions
Shah Wali AtayeeMaureen ZayaNeelam Jani
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.
UNHCR, convention of 1951
Refugee mental health backgroundwho is a refugee....?
In NZ, we follow a three stage settlement strategy
refugee camp independent living to becoming part of our communities
Resettlement strategies in NZ
ResettlementRefugees
In NZ1.Arrival 2.Building a new
life
3 Building new communities
needing more assistance -transition into a new life in a foreign country
Besides physical ailments resulting in their homeland,
mental illnesses that follow, range from depression to more serious ailments
Vulnerable population
What refugee people are experiencing?Torture and Trauma Experiences • physical and psychological•witnessing death or killing• disappearance of family members
Mental health issues in children and young people
Common mental health conditions sleep problem, depression, feeling anxious, sad and angry
Experiencing loss and grief
New homeland stress of adapting to beliefs & values of host nation
Socioeconomic disempowerment due to• inadequate financial resources • limited social class standing•encountering race related issues
Consequences eating disorders /panic attacks
poor memory/ behavioral responsespoor relationships with other peoplechildren refusing to go to school
Physical symptoms, like breathing difficulties, pain & dizziness tensionPoor concentrationNightmares /Anger and poor temper controlFamily violenceEmotional pain
Social stigma Unfamiliarity with western medicine Health care-provider relationships Different health systems (counseling) Access to services Culture Language/interpreter Immigration or settlement issues Family member left behind and trying to
bring him to NZ
CHALLENGES
• Don’t talk about mental illness /Feelings of shame• Not feeling confident to talk to health provider especially
when using interpreter from the same ethnic group• People don’t know about depression, stress and panic attacks• People don’t have a definition for depression in their language• Religion based treatments –prayers in
churches/mosques/temples/ancestral graveyards• Using some natural medicine like herbs to treat the sickness
Self medication
Cultural perceptions of mental health
Self medication will lead to substance dependence
• Tobacco use, smoking• Caffeine use• Drugs and alcohol• Gambling• Religious
Addictions
Early interventionImprove accessibility for mental health
treatment Concerns for misdiagnosis Awareness of cultural practices influencing their coping choicessocial & economic differencesaccess to interpreters
Measures for possible improvements
Many ways to say “thank you”.