What worsens a refugee's mental health?
Several aspects of a refugee's experience negatively impacts mental health, including:
- prolonged detention or stay in a refugee camp
- insecure immigration status
- limitations in work and education
- poverty
- social isolation
- being retraumatized telling their story over and over for asylum or resettlement
Refugee voices on mental health
Refugees often do not have access to trauma informed or culturally competent therapists. There are also other barriers to accessing services, including:
- language differences
- fear of a diagnosis impacting employment
- cultural norms surrounding silence and not seeking help