Improving mental health care in humanitarian emergencies

The mental health needs of people affected by emergencies are significant, but often overlooked by health-care providers. The world is facing an unprecedented number of humanitarian emergencies arising from conflict and disasters. In 2014, nearly 60 million people were forcibly displaced due to conflict, the highest number on record. Climatic and geological hazards continue to take their toll, as seen recently following the devastating earthquake in Nepal, cyclone in Vanuatu and flooding in China, Malawi and Myanmar.

Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings: a public mental health perspective.

Aims. To discuss the potential usefulness of a public health approach for ‘mental health and psychosocial support’ (MHPSS) interventions in humanitarian settings.

Trauma-related mental health problems among national humanitarian staff: A systematic review of the literature

Background: Working in humanitarian crisis situations is dangerous. National humanitarian staff in particular face the risk of primary and secondary trauma exposure which can lead to mental health problems. Despite this, research on the mental health of national staff is scarce, and a systematic analysis of up-to-date findings has not been undertaken yet.

EMDR for Syrian refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: results of a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background: The most common mental health problems among refugees are depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective treatment for PTSD. However, no previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been published on treating PTSD symptoms in a refugee camp population.
Objective: Examining the effect of EMDR to reduce the PTSD and depression symptoms compared to a wait-list condition among Syrian refugees.

From Individual to Collective healing: A trainer’s manual.

FOREWORD
We are aware that in low resource settings, psychosocial wellbeing is affected by exposure
to many different sources of difficulty and distress. This might be exposure to armed
conflict that in turn directly affects mental health and psychosocial functioning. However
not all distress (including psychological trauma) is related to the conflict itself or to the
stressful conditions it so often generates. Chronic problems like poor housing and poverty
as well as more intense experiences, such as physical and sexual abuse, frightening medical

We are not numbers : Palestinian youth tell the human stories behind the numbers in the news

“There’s really no such thing as the ‘voiceless.’ There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.” --Arundhati Roy

When the world talks about Palestinians living under occupation and in refugee camps, it is usually in terms of politics and numbers – specifically, how many killed, injured, homeless and/or dependent on aid.

World Health organization guidelines for management of acute stress, PTSD, and bereavement: key challenges on the road ahead

Wietse Tol and colleagues discuss some of the key challenges for implementation of new WHO guidelines for stress-related mental health disorders in low- and middle-income countries. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Mental, neurological, and substance use problems among refugees in primary health care: analysis of the Health Information System in 90 refugee camps

Background: Population-based epidemiological research has established that refugees in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are at increased risk for a range of mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) problems. Improved knowledge of rates for MNS problems that are treated in refugee camp primary care settings is needed to identify service gaps and inform resource allocation.

Social capital and mental health: connextions and complexities in contexts of post conflict recovery

In war affected populations there is often severe disruption of societal cohesion. Additionally, grief and traumatisation, along with insufficient health services and a lack of security, give rise to an increase of mental health problems. Social capital is potentially a key resource to support post conflict recovery, and is increasingly considered not merely as a resource supporting economic and social development, but also an important influence on population health. However, linkages between social capital and mental health are complex.

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