OVERCOMING THE DISTRESS OF FORCED DISPLACEMENT AND RESTORING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF FORCED MIGRANTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/psy-visnyk/2024.3.5Keywords:
psychological health, forced migration, psychological disorders, distress of forced displacement, psychological assistanceAbstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of mechanisms for overcoming the distress of forced displacement and restoring the mental health of forced migrants based on the study of international and Ukrainian experience. It is noted that in order to overcome the distress of forced displacement and related mental disorders, it is very important to screen the history of trauma and its consequences for mental health. This should be done at the very beginning of the adaptation period, as such screening will allow to determine the specifics of the assistance required by a particular forced migrant and to address their specific needs. Screening should be a priority for organisations working with forced migrants and should be included in the primary health care system. It has been found that there are three main options for intervening in the mental health of forced migrants: prevention, treatment, and support, with the best therapeutic effect being achieved if the whole family is worked with during the process of displacement. But only a small proportion of forced migrants seek psychological help for the following reasons: stigmatisation of mental health issues, lack of knowledge about treatment and information on how and where to seek help, lack of specialists who speak the native language of the forced migrant, insufficient number of specialists and waiting lists, high cost of treatment, and logistically inconvenient location of psychological help centres. Recommendations for overcoming these problems (both for forced migrants and mental health professionals) are formulated. The world and Ukrainian experience of implementing the ‘Mental Health Global Action Programme’ (mhGAP), which was launched by the WHO in 2008, and the peculiarities of using modern information technologies to provide psychological assistance are analysed.
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