Capturing the essential : Revising the mental health categories in UNHCR’s Refugee Health Information System

The Refugee Health Information System (RHIS) for humanitarian settings was developed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2004. As of 2009, it contained seven categories related to mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) conditions: epilepsy/seizure, alcohol/substance use disorder, mental retardation/intellectual disability, psychotic disorder, severe emotional disorder, medically unexplained somatic complaint and other psychological complaint. During a recent overhaul of the RHIS, the MNS categories were revisited.

Collective trauma among displaced populations in Northern Iraq : A case study evaluating the therapeutic interventions of the Free Yezidi Foundation

Yezidism arguably remains one of the most oppressed religions in Iraq, with the population historically confronted by many attempts at genocide. These atrocities haveleft many survivors displaced and affected by trauma, yet little research has been conducted on experiences of trauma among this population.

Expert medico-legal reports: The relationship between levels of consistency and judicial outcomes in asylum seekers in the Netherlands

Introduction: If asylum applicants need to prove that they have been persecuted in their home country, expert judgment of the psychological and physical consequences of torture may support the judicial process. Expert medico-legal reports can be used to assess whether the medical complaints of the asylum seeker are consistent with their asylum account. It is unclear which factors influence medical expert judgement about the consistency between an asylum seeker’s symptoms and story, and to what extent expert medico-legal reports are associated with judicial outcomes.

The Moderating Role of Individual Resilience in Refugee and Dutch Adolescents After Trauma

Objective: Exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) has been identified as a risk factor for various psychological problems in adolescents generally and in young refugees. The aim of this study was to examine whether individual resilience (assessed as a personality characteristic) can protect adolescents in diverse contexts from negative effects of trauma exposure.

The effectiveness of narrative exposure therapy : a review, meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis

Background: Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a short-term psychological treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has been investigated in various contexts among traumatized refugees and other trauma survivors. Sustained treatment results have been reported, but the methodological quality of the trials needs a more thorough examination.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of NET for survivors of trauma, using a quality assessment, an updated meta-analysis, and a meta-regression analysis.

The nexus between conflict-related sexual violence and trafficking for sexual exploitation in times of conflict

In its 2018 report on conflict-related sexual violence the UN Secretary-General reiterated the importance of addressing the nexus between conflict-related sexual violence and trafficking in human beings for purposes of sexual exploitation in conflict. In this article we will explore this nexus from a psychological and a legal point of view. During conflict the climate of impunity and the extreme contrast between the mighty and the powerless offers an optimal setting and inevitable ground for sexual violence.

Translations of our mental health information

Please see below translated versions of our mental health information.

Arabic عربى
Bengali বাঙালি
Bulgarian
Chinese 中文
French Francais 
German Auf Deutsch 
Greek Ελληνική γλώσσα
Gujurati  ગુજરાતી
Hindi हिंदीहिंदी
Italian Italiano
Japanese  日本語
Lithuanian Lietuvių kalba
Pashto پښتو
Persian (Farsi) فارسی
Polish Polski
Punjabi ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
Romanian Romana
Russian Pусский
Somali
Spanish Espanol
Tamil தமிழ்
Turkish
Urdu اردو
Welsh Cymraeg

Self-Help Resources in Farsi

The Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre (MMHRC) seeks to improve the quality and availability of mental health services for people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, including immigrants, refugees, and members of established ethnocultural communities.

Paradoxes and parallels in the global distribution of trauma-related mental health problems

What the chapters of this book have in common is that they explore cultural aspects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however the current chapter is slightly different because of its emphasis on cross-national patterns and the relevance of country-level factors that turn out to be risk and protective factors themselves.

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