Assessment and Awareness of Mental Health Conditions among Refugees in Vermont

Caus, Sandi

Item

Assessment and Awareness of Mental Health Conditions among Refugees in Vermont

Caus, Sandi

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract

Refugees experience profound hardship in their home-country, displaced country and throughout the period of re-settlement. Experiences like direct or indirect exposure to traumatic events, torture, sexual abuse and stigmatized refugee identity post-resttlement are major risk factors for the development of mental health coniditions inlcuding PTSD, depression and psychosis. Despite major risk factors for the development of mental health conditions, culturally-specific mental health stigma persists as a major barrier to addressing mental health among refugees. This project emphasizes techniques and self-education that can be utilized to improve mentah health screening and identification among refugee patients in Vermont.