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. 2011 Feb;10(1):2-10.
doi: 10.1002/j.2051-5545.2011.tb00002.x.

WPA guidance on mental health and mental health care in migrants

Dinesh Bhugra, Susham Gupta, Kamaldeep Bhui, Tom Craig, Nisha Dogra, J David Ingleby, James Kirkbride, Driss Moussaoui, James Nazroo, Adil Qureshi, Thomas Stompe, Rachel Tribe

WPA guidance on mental health and mental health care in migrants

Dinesh Bhugra et al. World Psychiatry. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

The purpose of this guidance is to review currently available evidence on mental health problems in migrants and to present advice to clinicians and policy makers on how to provide migrants with appropriate and accessible mental health services. The three phases of the process of migration and the relevant implications for mental health are outlined, as well as the specific problems of groups such as women, children and adolescents, the elderly, refugees and asylum seekers, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. The concepts of cultural bereavement, cultural identity and cultural congruity are discussed. The epidemiology of mental disorders in migrants is described. A series of recommendations to policy makers, service providers and clinicians aimed to improve mental health care in migrants are provided, covering the special needs of migrants concerning pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies.

Keywords: Migrants; common mental disorders; cultural bereavement; cultural congruity; cultural identity; mental health; mental health services; pharmacotherapies; psychotherapies; schizophrenia; suicide.

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