Mental health articles

war and mental health a brief overview.The effects of catastrophic political changes, such asethnic conflict, factional fighting and wars can have substantial impacts on the prevalence of psychiatric illnesses, regardless of previous coping strategies. As a result of conflict and political persecution,the world today holds an unprecedented amount ofinternally displaced persons and international refugees(between 20 and 39 million). Elderly refugees may suffer from the common mental illnesses associated with old age as well as refugees' typical hardships tha tcan lead to increased rates of posttraumatic stress, severe depression, hostility, phobic anxiety,affective disorders, somatization and psychoses. They may be at particular risk for tworeasons. First, they may be less able to adapt mentally and physically to changes because of lowered homeostatic reserve. Second, the elderly suffer thecumulative effects of major social change and upheavalin their lives. For example, a 70-year-oldChinese man would have lived through the end of theimperial era, the warlord years, occupation by theJapanese during World War II, the communist revolution, Mao Tse-tung's great leap forward, the vastfamine that followed, the cultural revolution with itsturmoil, and now a radical shift in the opening of theeconomy to market reforms. Some research  indicates that chronic stressors (e.g.financial insecurity) are strongly linked to depressionin adults and may be better predictors of this conditionthan acute stressors (i.e. discrete, traumatic life events).This lends support to the interpretation that the elderly(especially refugees) are at risk for depression as a resultof continuous and dramatic social change.

war and mental health a brief overview. Only a few studies have examined elderly refugees.Age was not a significant risk factor for depressionamong 1348 Southeast Asian refugees shortly after resettlement to Canada, but later it became significant. Elderly migrants experienced more social isolationcompared to younger members of their families who became integrated more easily into the majority culture. The elderly are generally less likely to acquirelinguistic facility, acculturate comfortably, and find sources of stable meaning and coherence; they are morelikely to mourn for a lost home.Another study described the health needs facingolder adults (ages 45 and above) displaced from theTigray region of Ethiopia to Sudan because of war andfamine. Those over 60 years of age comprisedbetween only 1% and 3% of the refugee population,which was less than half of UN estimates. Most of theelderly had been left in Tigray, likely because disabilityand illness, which disproportionately affect the elderly,forced them to remain behind. The migration of the restof the population removed most of their social support.Furthermore, relief efforts focused on those displacedto the Sudan, excluding the more disabled, at risk elderly. Among those displaced, approximately one third experienced social isolation, and 96% were completely economically dependent. Suitable clothingwas a frequent request among the older Tigranmigrants because it was critical to the maintenance ofpersonal dignity and self-esteem, which are importantvalues in their culture.

war and mental health a brief overview. In general, programs designed to help refugee populations tend to focus on the needs of the majority of a population and ignore the special needs of theelderly. A major mental health impact on the elderly refugee is that of loss of role and purpose.The disintegration of communities and the dislocation of services leaves the elderly, as well as the young,disoriented, unoccupied and in a state of dependency on relief handouts. To the elder who is used toexercising authority and receiving honor in thecommunity, this indignity may be even greater than the more visible conditions in refugee camps.

Tags: elderly, Health, mental, Mental health