Background
The nearly 12 million Syrians who have fled their homes to protect themselves and their families have seen unspeakable violence. These experiences are traumatic and their long term effect may be greater than we realize. Unfortunately, since the focus of the refugees' resettlement is on physical injuries and the treatment of infectious diseases. Therefore, the identification, and treatment of mental health problems is often overlooked, Half of the Syrian refugees who have fled to Germany are experiencing psychological distress and have developed mental illnesses resulting from trauma. Dietrich Munz, president of the German chamber of psychotherapists, estimated that while 3,000 to 4,000 psychotherapy sessions are offered in German refugee camps each year, the demand may be 20 times higher. More than half experienced mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, as a result. About 40 percent of adult refugees experience nightmares, and 50 percent had vivid flashbacks reliving a tramaumatic event. Forty percent of the children who were evaluated had witnessed violence, and 26 percent had watched their families being attacked. Earlier this year, 100 Syrian children and adolescents at a refugee center in Munich were studied, and it was found that 1 in 5 suffered from a psychological disorder as a result of trauma. Solutions include early recognition of psychological distress through systematic screening, psycho-education, and the offering of specialist treatment where needed. Providing better mental health care for people who have been affected by this crisis is a very realistic and doable solution. |