Mental health care needs of refugees

The numbers of refugees and asylum seekers shows little sign of decreasing. An increased prevalence of stress-related common mental disorders in these populations is well documented. The causes of these conditions vary according to stresses experienced and the journeys individuals take in their migration to new countries and cultural settings. The mental health practitioner must be informed of the cultural idioms by which suffering is expressed in the refugee's community, the social stigma associated with particular traumatic experiences and with mental illness. Because of their experiences of victimization, refugees may be reluctant to disclose experiences of trauma and, as is typical of common mental disorder worldwide, the presentation of mental distress in the first instance is often in the guise of somatic complaints. The specific needs of this group will include dealing with traumatic experiences without pathologizing normal human responses.