Psychiatric work among refugees in Indochina
Magnussen, F.
Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin Ny Raekke 109(26): 2689-2692
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-2001 PMID: 2814999 Document Number: 338203
Refugee psychiatry deals with reactions related to escape and camp life, and to adjustment reactions to the host country. ICM (The Intergovernmental Committee for Migration) deals with refugees from the time they are accepted somewhere. This includes transportation, and medical screening to make sure that refugees are fit for travel, satisfy public health requirements etc. This work involves evaluations and efforts to improve health, such as keeping patients out of the psychotic stage and detoxifying opium users. Essentially, a refugee population has the same psychopathology as any other group, and the important thing is that they be understood in the wider frame of reference of their political and cultural background.