Mental health
Individual Documents
Sub-title:
The Right to Mental Health for Rohingya Survivors of Genocide in Myanmar and Bangladesh
Description:
"It has been three years since “Saiful,” 27, escaped genocidal attacks in
Myanmar’s Rakhine State. His experience continues to affect him.
“I cannot think well,” he said. “I’ve become thin and gangly because of the
stress. I feel tired. I cannot eat well. I feel angry when I imagine the persecution.”
Born and raised in northern Rakhine State, Saiful survived grinding human
rights violations since his childhood, and in 2017, he witnessed mass atrocities
perpetrated by Myanmar Army soldiers against Rohingya civilians. In August
that year, at the height of Myanmar Army-led attacks on Rohingya, Saiful fled
massacres, deadly arson attacks, mass rape, and other crimes, leaving behind
murdered family and friends to join Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, who
now number approximately one million.
“No one is helping us in proper ways,” he said from a refugee camp in Cox’s
Bazar District, Bangladesh. “I cannot sleep when I remember my relatives who
were killed. It is very difficult for me to do any work.”
Saiful is describing symptoms typically associated with Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), a serious mental health condition. In the case of Rohingya
who survived recent attacks, the mental harm of PTSD can be destructive,
impairing daily functioning and the ability to live a full and constructive life.
Saiful is unfortunately not the only Rohingya refugee suffering from serious
mental health conditions due to human rights violations and violence
perpetrated against Rohingya in Myanmar.
The quantitative research included in this report and conducted by a team
of ten Rohingya researchers and Fortify Rights provides new evidence of the
pervasive and severe mental health toll that human rights violations and
violence has had on the Rohingya community. This report documents and
analyzes the findings of this Rohingya-led participatory action research.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimate that 12 months after an
emergency, approximately 15 to 20 percent of adults will experience some
type of moderate or mild mental health disorder. The Rohingya are suffering
at significantly higher rates. The Rohingya-led participatory action research..."
Source/publisher:
"Fortify Rights" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-12-10
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Mental health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.11 MB ( reduce version)
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Description:
"When the Myanmar Army attacked and massacred ethnic Rohingya civilians in 2017, more than 700,000 men, women, and children fled to Bangladesh, some riddled with bullets, burns, and gaping wounds. Hundreds of villages were in ashes, razed by soldiers and their civilian proxies.
But long after the physical wounds scarred over, Rohingya continue to suffer mental harm on a massive scale. President-elect Biden can and should do something about it.
There are upwards of one million Rohingya refugees now languishing in Bangladesh. They are experiencing trauma, depression, and anxiety at staggering rates. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 15 to 20 percent of adults will experience some type of moderate or mild mental health disorder one year after an emergency, and in theory, those figures should decrease over time. By contrast, a new report published by Fortify Rights finds that 89 percent of Rohingya refugees in sprawling camps in Bangladesh are experiencing serious depression. Eighty-four percent are experiencing severe emotional distress. And a staggering 62 percent are experiencing symptoms equivalent to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—a debilitating condition that can prevent its victims from leading normal and constructive lives. What drives these extreme levels of distress?
Ongoing genocide in Myanmar is partly to blame, but the new quantitative data reveals that long-term systematic human rights violations in Myanmar and ongoing impunity are also key factors that continue to impact Rohingya mental health..."
Source/publisher:
"Time"
Date of publication:
2020-01-06
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide, Atrocities against Groups - documents, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Mental health
Language:
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Description:
"Globally, a person dies from suicide every 40 seconds, and it is estimated that for every death, 20 others have attempted to take their own lives. The vast majority of suicides take place in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.
Young people’s vulnerability to suicide-related mental health problems is particularly concerning in Myanmar, a country that has long grappled with conflict and humanitarian crises. “There is a strong association between conflict, forced migration and higher rates of mental and psychosocial disorders,” said Eri Taniguchi, a UNFPA specialist in issues relating to gender-based violence.
“As we all know, the vulnerabilities of women, girls, youth and adolescents increase in humanitarian settings, while mental health and psychosocial needs tend to be overlooked or considered not a priority,” she added.
UNFPA, the lead agency for mental health and psychosocial support in Myanmar, is working to change that. With the Johns Hopkins University, UNFPA chairs a working group that has established a referral system for mental health and psychosocial services.
“Suicide is a serious public health problem,” Ms. Taniguchi said. “However it is preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost intervention.”..."
Source/publisher:
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-03-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Mental health, Public Health
Language:
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Sub-title:
This is the last part of a two-part series on them mental health of the Roghingya refugees
Description:
"As the world takes stock of the situation two years on from the forced mass expulsion of the Rohingya from Myanmar, the 'leaders' of the refugee community in Cox's Bazar placed a five point charter of demands.
Syed Ullah, refugee leader and secretary of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPHR), placed the demands at a press briefing in Jamtoli camp of Cox's Bazar in August 2019.
It has now been two years since a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Myanmar military forced out of the country, more than two-thirds of the Rohingya population living in Myanmar.
Talking to reporters at refugee camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf, youth and elderly alike said they want to return to their homeland but before that they want reassurance from Myanmar authorities about a conducive environment in northern Rakhine state.
They said the ultimate solution to the Rohingya crisis will be a safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return of those who fled their homes in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the failure in the reparations and repatriation of Rohingya refugees has been causing mental health problems among the refugee population and people of the host communities as well.
A sense of resentment prevails among locals who now fear repatriation of the refugees might take longer than they had anticipated..."
Source/publisher:
"Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of publication:
2019-11-03
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Mental health
Language:
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Description:
"Mental disorders (such as depression and psychotic disorders) are common in Myanmar, yet very few people are diagnosed and treated. Beyond the lack of trained healthcare workers, the stigmatization and discrimination of people with mental disorders are also major barriers to access to care. Through a 3-year pilot program in Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Sanofi, the Myanmar Medical Association and their partners have implemented training sessions for healthcare workers, and awareness activities within the community, so that with the use of digital technology, a greater number of people with mental disorders can be identified and treated..."
Source/publisher:
Sanofi
Date of publication:
2018-11-05
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Mental health
Language:
more
Description:
"Rupa Patel, MD, and Anne Glowinski, MD, colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, are working with the Bangladeshi nongovernmental organization Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB) to help deliver mental health services to traumatized Rohingya refugees who fled their home country of Myanmar for refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh.
Follow this link for a story on their efforts: https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/docto...
Video by E. Holland Durando and Huy Mach, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis..."
Source/publisher:
"Washington University School of Medicine"
Date of publication:
2019-03-13
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Mental health, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
ABSTRACT:
"The Karen, an ethnic minority group in Burma, have experienced a prolonged state of exile in refugee camps in neighboring Thailand due to ethnic conflict in their home country. Nursery schools in the three largest Karen refugee camps aim to promote psychosocial development of young children by providing a child-centered, creative, learning-friendly environment. Psychosocial development and potentially concerning behaviors of two- to five-year old children in nursery schools were examined using a psychosocial checklist. The results showed that psychosocial development of the children increased with age, with a majority of five year olds being proficient in playing cooperatively with other children. A third of the children showed sadness or emotional outbursts. Difficulty separating from parents was also observed. The results also showed that children who attended the nursery schools for more than a year were better at playing cooperatively with other children and were more aware of their own and others? feelings. On the other hand, children who were newer to the nursery schools were more polite and better at following rules and controlling their feelings when frustrated. The results indicate that nursery schools can be a promising practice to promote healthy psychosocial development of children in protracted refugee situations."
Akiko Tanaka
Date of publication:
2011-11-00
Date of entry/update:
2011-11-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Mental health, Education in refugee camps in Thailand, Burmese refugees in Thailand - education
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
357.44 KB
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Description:
Acknowledgement
The World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS)
was used to collect information on the mental health system of Myanmar.
This study was carried out by Professor Hla Htay of the Department of Mental Health, University
of Medicine (1), Yangon and Mental Health Hospital Yangon, Myanmar.
The preparation of this study would not have been possible without the collaboration of the
Ministry of Health, Department of Health, Department of Health Planning, Department of Medical
Sciences, University of Nursing, Budget and Finance Unit, Department of Health, Mandalay
Mental Health Hospital, Mental Health Units in States and Divisions and Department of Social
Welfare. We are grateful for the support of the Medical Superintendent, Yangon Mental Health
Hospital, Consultant/Lecturer, Forensic Psychiatric Unit, Yangon Mental Health Hospital, Rector
University of Medicine (1), Rector University of Nursing.
Source/publisher:
WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia
Date of publication:
2006-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-11-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Mental health
Language:
English
more
Description:
Abstract
In June 2001, we assessed mental health problems among Karenni refugees residing in camps in Mae Hong Son,
Thailand, to determine the prevalence of mental illness, identify risk factors, and develop a culturally appropriate
intervention program. A systematic random sample was used with stratification for the three camps; 495 people aged 15
years or older from 317 households participated. We constructed a questionnaire that included demographic
characteristics, culture-specific symptoms of mental illness, the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25, the Harvard Trauma
Questionnaire, and selected questions from the SF-36 Health Survey. Mental health outcome scores indicated elevated
levels of depression and anxiety symptoms; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores were comparable to scores in
other communities affected by war and persecution. Psychosocial risk factors for poorer mental health and social
functioning outcomes were insufficient food, higher number of trauma events, previous mental illness, and landmine
injuries. Modifications in refugee policy may improve social functioning, and innovative mental health and psychosocial
programs need to be implemented, monitored, and evaluated for efficacy.
Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Barbara Lopes Cardozoa, Leisel Talleya, Ann Burtonb, Carol Crawford
Source/publisher:
Social Science & Medicine _58 (2004) 2637?2644
Date of publication:
2004-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-10-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Cross-border health issues, Mental health
Language:
English
more
Description:
Historical perspective
The care of the ?insane?
The earliest history of services for the mentally ill
in Myanmar goes back to 1886. The British
authorities felt that a national facility was
required; however, its function was to be merely
containment. Sadly, the prime motivation for this
wnuaissantchea.t Itthweas mcaelnletadllythe i?pllriscoanusefodr thae inpsuabnleic?
and was built close to the City Prison in Rangoon
?(innomwateksn?,ownby as19Y1a4ngtohne). nIunmitbiaelrlsy whiathd sroismeen 5t0o
around 750 and yet more space was needed to
accommodate the unfortunates.
Khin Maung Zaw
Source/publisher:
Psychiatric Bulletin 1997 v. 21, p. 506-509
Date of publication:
1997-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-10-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Mental health
Language:
English
more
Description:
GENERAL HEALTH:
Living as a refugee. By Charles Kemp;
What is Mental Health?
Mental Health and Addictions. By Pam Rogers...
MOTHER AND CHILD HEALTH:
Mental Health of Refugee Children;.
Causes and Consequences of violence. By Karine Le Roch, Clara;
Barilani
A protective Network for Victims of Violence...
MANAGEMENT:
What Health Workers can do?
Coping with Stress;
Management of Mental Health at Community Level;
Happy Saturday Group. By Karine Le Roch.;
Counseling for Mental health. By Claudia Pedraglio Martinez...
SOCIAL:
The Psycho-Social Approach. By Elsa Laurin...
INTERVIEW:
Interviews with Mental Health Helpers...
TEST
;Test your Psycho Potential;
How Vulnerable are you to Stress? LACKS COVER PAGES
Source/publisher:
Aide Medicale Internationale (AMI)
Date of publication:
2005-06-00
Date of entry/update:
2007-07-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
"Health Messenger" etc., Mental health
Language:
Burmese, English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.81 MB
Local URL:
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