Asylum Seekers and Cultural Trauma refugees experience in their first year of settlement
One of the most common things that is overlooked when it comes to refugees and asylum seekers is the cultural trauma they experience after resettling in a new country. When they are transplanted from a place they understand and are comfortable in to a place that is completely foreign, the cultural adjustment can be extremely difficult. This trauma can have a very strong effect on someone’s mental health, leading to anxiety, stress, depression, and other mental illnesses. Often, even the most inviting countries will focus support on things like employment, childcare, and physical health, overlooking the mental health aspects of this type of drastic cultural shakeup.
There are also two sides to this issue; competing forces that can have a negative impact on a refugee’s mental health. While it is one thing for a person to experience dramatically different cultural practices when they move to a new place, it is another for the people who have lived there for some time to accept a newcomer. Or to put it another way, an asylum seeker may find it difficult to integrate into new culture and those around them may not accept the refugee right away. This type of situation can have a very negative impact on someone’s mental health. Cultural isolation can lead directly to depression and a whole host of other mental health issues.
One of the most positive things a refugee can do once arriving in a new culture is to build a support system. Asylum seekers will likely experience all kinds of trauma as a result of culture shock, and having the proper assistance in place to help cope can make a significant difference. While making friends and colleagues can take time, professional help in the form of counselling can give refugees an outlet to talk about their feelings and deal with the struggles that can come with dramatically changing your living situation.
It may an individual, a couple, or an entire family seeking resettlement; no matter if it is a single person or a group of people feeling the trauma of having to move to a new country, there is almost always a negative mental health impact. With few physical symptoms, it can sometimes be difficult to notice a mental health issue, especially when there are all kinds of stresses prevalent in someone’s life. With that said, seeking asylum in a new country is something that will take a huge toll on the mental health of even the strongest person. While it is easy for people to offer refugee’s financial aid, being a friend can be just as important. Whether you support them by listening to their concerns and lending a helping hand or by recommending a good counsellor, embracing newcomers is very valuable.
The first year of settlement is the most important time; it is a time when refugees are the most vulnerable and often the least comfortable. Things like language barriers, a lack of socializing, and stress from finding work and building a new home can lead to serious mental health issues. When these mental health problems go untreated they tend to build up and make settling quite difficult. Things like depression and anxiety can be very detrimental for a family trying to turn a foreign land into their new place of residence. Counselling is one type of treatment that can have a very positive impact, although it often goes overlooked in the process of resettling.
That is why having a positive discussion about the trauma asylum seekers and refugees experience during their first year of settlement is needed. Our March Mental Health Seminar aims to promote that discussion, with professionals offering mental health treatment tactics, counselling information, and talking about the topic at large.
Anyone interested in learning more about this topic should attend the seminar; just talking about an issue can lead to a great change. In a world where refugees are very prevalent, it has never been more important to examine these issues.
Domestic Violence and Mental Health - Violence against Women
Domestic violence can be completely devastating on an individual; apart from any physical harm, and even after a woman is able to escape an abusive relationship, women who are victims of domestic violence can often exhibit mental health issues. After leaving a relationship that was plagued by domestic violence, it is important for a victim to receive proper treatment in order to help support their mental health recovery.
Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and high levels of stress are all mental health issues that can be derived from abusive relationships. For a female victim, it can often be difficult to reach out for help or even understand the problem. It is important for them to know, however, that although such trauma can be extremely difficult to comprehend, there are treatment options available to them, specifically through a combination of counselling services and other positive rehabilitation tactics.
When a victim of trauma exhibits symptoms of mental health issues, people must acknowledge them and have a responsibility to offer help. Whether they lend a helping hand or are able to point a victim in the direction of professional help, it is key that a victim of domestic violence not feel like an outsider in the world.
Women are sometimes not believed, victimized, or even ignored when they try to tell their personal stories. People often turn a blind eye and choose to not address the problem, leaving the female victim even more isolated and leading to more substantial mental health problems. Domestic violence trauma can in some cases, even, lead victims to having suicidal thoughts. While it is very unfortunate that these are truths, it is very important to discuss these issues and provide treatment for those who are in need.
We can start by listening to victims. By hearing their stories and giving them the assistance they need. Often, it can be extremely difficult for an individual to leave an abusive relationship; sometimes taking care of mental health problems can become an afterthought or forgotten altogether, but that needs to end.
Counselling services are one way to start the path to a positive, healthy mental space. While a counsellor may be able to offer advice or tips to fight triggers of traumatic memories, help rebuild trust in relationships, and make a victim feel safe, one of the most important things to do is to just let it out. Talking about issues can make them less daunting, will make female victims of domestic violence feel more included in society, and will foster a sense of community that can be used to fight mental illnesses like depression and anxiety.
There are many ideas about how to treat mental health issues, but one of the most positive ways to start thinking about a possible cure is to have a discussion. Trauma, as a result of mental health, can be devastating for female victims of domestic violence. Talking about that trauma, although it may be almost unbearable at times, is a way to provide healing for a victim. But it is equally as important to have someone listening on the other end.
Our March Mental Health Seminar aims to discuss some of these issues and bring to light treatment options for women who have suffered from domestic violence and are having issues with their mental health. To learn more, we urge anyone who is interested to attend our seminar, where you you can trust the guidance of our professional counselors to provide knowledge, treatment options, and a helping hand to those in need. Mental health is a serious topic and we are dedicated to having a responsible, professional discussion about it in order to lead to positive change.
Forensic Mental Health, the Law & Practical Application
When it comes to mental illness, there are many different aspects related to their effects on society. One area of study centres around forensic mental health, which arises when someone with a mental illness is caught up in the law. The forensic mental health system is important for a variety of reasons, and significant in helping determine proper outcome of criminal cases involving those who suffer from mental illness. In some cases, people who have committed a crime may not, because of their mental state, be aware of or understand what they have done, or they may be unable to understand what the outcome of their actions will be.
There are many myths about mental health, including that people who suffer from mental illnesses use their troubles as an excuse for behaviour. However, these myths need to be dispelled and mental health problems taken seriously. Forensic mental health is used to look beyond public perception and dive into the scientific evidence behind someone’s actions. It looks at the contributing factors that influenced someone’s decisions, most often in the case of someone breaking the law or acting in a disorderly way. Falsehoods about mental health are quite counterintuitive and very damaging toward not only the individual who may have committed a crime because of their mental illness, but to society as a whole because of its lack of a basis in truth. This leads to further trauma in their lives and influences their future decision making.
Forensic mental health is necessary in order to make sure that cases are dealt with in an appropriate manner. If someone is suffering from a mental health issue, such as schizophrenia or paranoia, incarceration is likely not going to benefit anyone involved. They may end up repeating their offence after being released because the underlying problem that caused them to take an action in the first place was not addressed. To this point, forensic mental health can lead to more positive outcomes in the judicial system, such as ordering an offender to receive treatment and or serve a sentence in a facility that is equipped to offer proper rehabilitation and help for an individual. Forensic mental health is not only beneficial to society at large by offering the offender adequate and appropriate help, it can help decrease the likelihood of those offences occurring repeatedly through treatment instead of purely punishing the individual.
When someone who is suffering from a mental illness is convicted of a crime and sentenced solely to jail time, it only fuels the confusion, frustration, and lack of compassion that plagues the world of mental health. There are more progressive, helpful, and appropriate ways to deal with a situation. While serious crimes to require severe punishment in some cases, forensic mental health aims to tackle the underlying disorders or diseases which influence poor decision making.
Through counselling, medication, and rehabilitation, people suffering from mental health problems can see a positive impact and become contributing members of society. Sometimes traditional methods of punishment are in no way effective, which wastes time, money, and leads to repeated behaviour. It can also lead to more intense suffering for the person who has the mental illness, fueling the fire so to speak.
There are many different players in forensic mental health. From judges to lawyers to the police, many different authorities need to understand its effectiveness as a rehabilitation tool. Awareness and understanding of mental health illnesses and how they can affect and influence an individual’s actions is important.
It is our aim at our March Mental Health Seminar to raise more questions surrounding this topic and discuss how to be most effective in implementing quality forensic mental health practices. We urge anyone who is interested in this area to attend in order to learn more and help end the shame, falsehoods, and inadequate rehabilitation that is prevalent in society.