Health and forced migration

Since its introduction as a formal diagnosis in 1980, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been shown to have a lifetime prevalence of about 8% in the USA, with a much higher prevalence in countries affected by civil war, genocide, forced migration, and terrorism. Furthermore, evidence continues to accumulate indicating that, in addition to its public health significance as a prevalent psychiatric disorder, PTSD is a risk factor for many medical illnesses. 

For the majority, the reality of forced migration perseveres within their memories and remains greatly complex both in its content and in terms of their political personal response to it (Braito 1988 Bowling 1990). In old age, injuries and their side-effects may resurface and also take the form of various mental health conditions such as depression, (p. 415) anxiety, neurosis, or paranoia (dubbed the Polish disease ) (Bram 1983). As noted by Braito with reference to refugees from Eastern and Central Europe after the wan... 

Ager, A. (2012) Health on the MoveiThe Impact of Forced Migration on Health. World Disasters Heport. Geneva International Federation of the Red Cross and Crescent... 

Grove, N. ]., and Zwi, A. B. (2006) Our Health and Theirs Forced Migration, Otheiing, and Public Health. Social Science Medicine 62 1931-42. 

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