The Mental Health of Refugees and Forcibly Displaced People: A Narrative Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: One of the pressing global issues today is the matter of refugees and forcibly displaced people migration. Refugee or forcibly displaced status has a significant impact on a person's mental health, with a high risk of developing depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychotic disorders.

AIM: To conduct a literature review and evaluate the mental health status of refugees and forcibly displaced people due to military action

METHODS: The search of literature was conducted without any restrictions on the publication date, with a focus on articles from the past two decades. The search was conducted in the Google Scholar and PubMed databases using the following keywords and phrases: “migration”, “migrants”, “refugees”, “forcibly displaced people”, “mental health”, “mental disorder”, “psychiatric disorders”. This analysis included studies that discussed and evaluated the social, psychological, and clinical aspects of migration. The review included original research and meta-analyses published in English, Russian, and Spanish. Descriptive analysis was applied to summarize the results.

RESULTS: The literature review showed that global migration levels have reached a high point, and this trend continues due to the existing geopolitical conditions. Even limited and difficult-to-compare epidemiological data demonstrate that more than a quarter of migrants suffer from mental disorders. These primarily include depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Apart from creating and exacerbating problems for the refugees and forcibly displaced people themselves, they also pose serious challenges to the social services and healthcare systems of refugee-hosting countries. The literature review demonstrated that forced displacement plays a role in the development of mental disorders, and also emphasizes the significance of several associated factors.

CONCLUSION: This review emphasizes the urgent need for standardizing screening methods for refugees and forcibly displaced people, creating unified approaches to diagnostic evaluation, as well as specialized training for mental health professionals. Large-scale programs are needed to support and implement sustainable global mental health measures in the countries affected by hostilities.

Keywords

refugees / forcibly displaced people / migrants / social and psychological issues / mental disorders

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