Publications - Immigrant/Refugee Mental Health

988 Lifeline sees boost in use and funding in first months, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Jan 16 2023.

“The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline received over 1.7 million calls, texts and chats in its first five months. That's nearly half a million more than the old 10-digit Suicide Prevention Lifeline fielded during the same period the year before.  Launched in mid-July last year, the 988 number is modeled on the 911 system and is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people who are suicidal or in any other mental health crisis to a trained mental health professional.  "We see the uptick in volume as an indicator that more people are aware of the service and are able to access it," says Kimberly Williams, the president and CEO of Vibrant Emotional Health, the non-profit that oversees the national 988 network of nearly 200 crisis centers spread across the nation. ”

How some therapists are helping patients heal by tackling structural racism, by Lauren Beard, NPR, Nov 25 2022.

“Many of the founding ideas, techniques and schools of practice of therapy were developed by white scholars or practitioners. As a result, the field has marginalized the experiences of people of color, therapists and patients say. Microaggressions are also pervasive in psychological practice, researchers note, and many immigrants report not attending therapy because of language barriers, a lack of insurance and high costs.  That's why Teng wanted to take a new approach. For her, that meant joining a growing movement of other counselors hoping to transform the practice of therapy, to make it more accessible and relevant to people of color and — ultimately — to help them find healing.  Teng was initially inspired by people like Dr. Jennifer Mullan, who refer to this work as "decolonizing therapy," a process of addressing the structural racism and other forms of oppression that keep therapy from serving many marginalized communities. ”

Watchdogs Cite Lax Medical And Mental Health Treatment Of ICE Detainees, by Sarah Varney, NPR, Apr 12 2019.

“Article discusses the conditions for detainees in one of the many ICE detention centers, specifically the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. It's a prison-like facility north of San Bernardino, Calif. A disability rights group says it's failing to provide adequate mental health care to detainees.  ”

Immigration Is A Public Health Issue, But Not For The Reasons Some Politicians Claim, by Carolina Moreno, Huffington Post, Dec 8 2018.

“However, this small fraction of global migrants ― refugees and displaced populations, of which nearly 53 percent are children ― have the highest risk of exploitation, disease and death because they usually lack access to equitable health services in their home country and initially live in cramped refugee camps or shelters with substandard health services when they first arrive in their host country. In the United States, this narrative can be seen playing out along the U.S.-Mexico border, where asylum-seekers crossing into the country are often placed in crowded detention centers where adults and children face an increased risk of disease transmission and mental health consequences. ”

Migrant Kids Survive Hardship To Reunite With Parents. Then What?, by RHITU CHATTERJEE, NPR, Nov 17 2018.

“US Customs and Border Protection reports that, between 2010 and 2017, officers with the agency intercepted roughly 300,000 unaccompanied children. Many had at least one parent or a relative already living in the United States — these young people came to be reunited with family.  But, that reunification is rarely as easy or joyful as the children or their parents expect, at least initially, say researchers and therapists who work with these families. Years of separation, a history of grief and trauma, and the stresses of suddenly having to adapt to a new culture often get in the way.  And the cost of unhappiness at home can be high for such youth. They may be be at a higher risk of depression, anxiety and substance-abuse, says Rachel Osborn, a licensed social worker at Mary's Center, a health clinic in Washington, D.C. And an unhappy family life can make it even less likely that those who are struggling in school will complete their education. ”

States may now broaden mental health treatment under Medicaid, by Michael Nedelman, CNN, Nov 13 2018.

“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may now allow for states to pursue Medicaid reimbursements for short-term inpatient treatment in mental health facilities despite a decades-old exclusion, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday. In a letter to state Medicaid directors, CMS detailed a new Medicaid waiver opportunity through which states may bypass longstanding reimbursement restrictions on inpatient psychiatric treatment, which apply to mental health facilities with more than 16 beds. Azar said the original policy has posed a "significant barrier" to people getting the treatments they need. ”

What separation from parents does to children: ‘The effect is catastrophic’, by William Wan, The Washington Post, Jun 18 2018.

“"This is what happens inside children when they are forcibly separated from their parents.  Their heart rate goes up. Their body releases a flood of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Those stress hormones can start killing off dendrites — the little branches in brain cells that transmit mes­sages. In time, the stress can start killing off neurons and — especially in young children — wreaking dramatic and long-term damage, both psychologically and to the physical structure of the brain.  'The effect is catastrophic,” said Charles Nelson, a pediatrics professor at Harvard Medical School. “There’s so much research on this that if people paid attention at all to the science, they would never do this.'" ”

The Migrating Mind: New Studies Unlock Impact of Immigration on Mental Health, by John Watson, Medscape, May 18 2017.

“The mass migration that's characterized the young, chaotic 21st century to date is captured in numbers befitting its imposing scale. It is estimated that 244 million people (3.3% of the world's population) live outside their country of origin, of whom 65 million were forcibly displaced as a result of ongoing conflict and persecution—an all-time high for that figure.   ”

Refugees Struggle with Mental Health Problems Caused by War and Upheaval, by Alison Abbott, Scientific American, Oct 11 2016.

“This is an informative research-supported article which explores the mental health conditions of a growing amount of refugees who are seeking asylum in various countries of Europe.  The article explores the challenges relating to making a new life, the stress of their upheaval and finding peace of mind.  ”

Are mental health issues more of a problem for immigrants than for others?, by Jack Doppelt, Immigrant Connect, Jun 12 2016.

“This is a blog-run information site for immigrants in the Chicago area.  This article discusses the many pitfalls both children and adults face as either first or second generation immigrants in terms of accessing proper mental health care.   ”

A Pit Stop for PTSD Therapy, by Shira Rubin , The Atlantic, Apr 4 2016.

“While most humanitarian-aid missions on the island are focused on food, shelter, and other emergency needs, small teams of therapists and social workers are scrambling to provide coping methods to an unknown number of diagnosed trauma victims. In recent months, organizations like the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have begun to devote more of their attention to mental-health care, said Angeliki Kardi, one of three psychologists on the IRC staff. While there is no reliable data measuring the frequency of psychological disorders among refugee populations in Europe, a study published last September by the German Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists showed that as many as half of the refugees there suffer from conditions like PTSD or depression. ”

PTSD in Refugees, by Elisa E. Bolton, PTSD: National Center for PTSD: US Department of Veteran Affairs, Feb 23 2016.

“n 2002, the U.S. Committee for Refugees estimated that there were 14.9 million refugees and 22 million internally displaced persons in the world. This escalating international crisis has developed over the past 60 years as organized political violence has increasingly targeted civilian populations. These refugees are men, women, and children, from virtually every income level and living arrangement. As refugees they have often left behind their livelihood, their communities, and most of all of their possessions. Although a large number of the individuals adjust well, many suffer significant psychological distress as a result of their exposure to traumatic events and the hardships associated with life as a refugee. ”

Refugees In America’s Healthcare System: How Refugee Families Get The Care They Need To Build New Lives, by Lecia Bushak, Medical Daily, Feb 2 2016.

Immigration, by APA, APA, 2016.

“Informative about immigration as well as a helpful link to multiple articles and resources on immigration. ”

As U.S. braces for Syrian refugees, mental health services lag, by Megan Cassella and Serena Maria Daniels, Reuters, Oct 28 2015.