War and Migration – when Mental Health is left behind
A. L. Ramos, H. Salgado

TL;DR
This paper examines how war and forced migration impact mental health, focusing on Ukrainian refugees in Portugal and the importance of context-aware psychiatric care.
Contribution
The paper contributes a case-based analysis of Ukrainian refugees' mental health in Portugal and emphasizes the need for culturally sensitive psychiatric approaches.
Findings
War and forced migration significantly increase the risk of psychiatric disorders among refugees.
Ukrainian refugees in Portugal presented both pre-existing and newly diagnosed mental health conditions.
Cultural and linguistic barriers must not hinder effective psychiatric treatment in globalized societies.
Abstract
Wars and armed conflicts are known to have devastating consequences for both physical and mental health of all the people involved. Studies have shown that conflict situations cause more mortality and disability than any major disease and, among the consequences of war, the impact on mental health of the civilian population is one of the most significant. Forced migration, compelling people to become internally displaced or refugees who have fled to other countries, is responsible for additional physical and mental health problems. Regardless of the reasons for migration, the process itself can be a highly stressful life event, leading to a higher risk of psychiatric disorders. Refugees are particularly susceptible to mood and anxiety disorders, whose prevalence rates is almost twice as high as those found among non-refugee migrants. Since 2022, with the progression of the conflict…
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Taxonomy
TopicsMigration, Health and Trauma · Health and Conflict Studies
