Forced Migration and Mental Health / International and Cultural Psychology (PDF)

In the last half century, the steadily increasing incidence of armed conflict (both within and between nations) has created mounting numbers of asylum seekers, refugees, and displaced persons. The provision of appropriate mental health services for these individuals has become a major focus of concern, but considerable controversy remains as to what kind of care is necessary. The initial assumptions and models that informed the field have recently come under attack, and alternative approaches have arisen. Forced Migration and Mental Health: Rethinking the Care of Refugees and Displaced Persons provides an up-to-date view of the controversies and future directions for the mental health care of those displaced by war or other extreme conditions.

Building on the themes of cultural appropriateness and an interdisciplinary view of mental health, this book expresses the need to view refugees and others in the context of their own political and existential situations. Rather than imposing Western technological solutions on those from other cultures, it seeks to foster an understanding of the strengths of "indigenous" ways of dealing with hardship and suffering. The contributors to this volume are on the cutting edge of work in refugee mental health and represent a range of disciplines. They have striven to create cohesive chapters that reflect consistent themes as well as their knowledge of each others' work in chapters that cover such issues as assumptions for intervention, treatment models, social and political concerns, the special needs of women and children, and refugees in host countries.

This book is relevant to all those working with refugees and displaced persons across the mental health disciplines of psychiatry, psychology and social work, as well as to policy makers and students in these areas.