Mental Disorders among Refugees

• Published in: Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie Vol. 48; no. 6; p. 453
• Main Authors: Schouler-Ocak, Meryam, Graef-Calliess, Iris T, Bajbouj, Malek, Plener, Paul L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Switzerland 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Humans; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - therapy; Prevalence; Refugees - psychology; Refugees - statistics & numerical data; adolescent ward; intercultural competence; interkulturelle Kompetenz; Transition; transition management; children and adolescents with migration and refugee background; Kinder und Jugendliche mit Migrations- und Fluchthintergrund; Adoleszentenstation; Transitionsmanagement
• ISSN: 1422-4917
• DOI: 10.1024/1422-4917/a000769

Mental Disorders among Refugees Children and adolescents with migration and refugee backgrounds are subject to various health-related, psychosocial, sociocultural, and economic burdens that may influence the prevalence, manifestation, course, and treatment as well as prognosis of mental disorders. In addition, they are particularly disadvantaged by numerous barriers to accessing the mental healthcare and treatment granted natives. The so-called transition gap only exacerbates the situation. As a solution, we provide recommendations for improving the mental healthcare of children and adolescents with a migration and refugee background analogous to the situation for adults. For inpatient settings, where mental healthcare is inadequate, we recommend the establishment of so-called adolescent wards under child and adolescent and adult psychiatric-psychotherapeutic management, with appropriate nursing and therapeutic staffing as well as a special "transition management" including the training of intercultural competence.