Mental health of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants: An overview of challenges and good practice examples

Abstract

In the past few years the number of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers worldwide has increased dramatically. Serbia, as a mainly transit country currently hosts over 6,000 new asylum-seekers and refugees, over 26.200 refugees and 198.500 internally displaced persons from the ex-Yugoslavia region, and 1.950 persons at risk of statelessness. Migrants are often under acute and chronic stress. Many of them were traumatized in their homelands and during their journey, due to persecution, violence, and human right violations, and they are confronted with ongoing stressors in the exile countries. Extensive research has shown increased rates and substantial variability in the prevalence of short-term and long-term mental health problems among refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders are depression, anxiety, prolonged grief, somatoform disorders, psychosis, substance use disorders, and disorders specifically related to stress, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder. It’s urgent to offer a systemic and sustainable solutions for mental health protection, in order to reduce trauma related mental health problems and prevent long-term consequences. Multisectoral, evidence-based and multidisciplinary approach is recognized as crucial in identifying needs of these populations and enabling proper protection of their mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.