TY - JOUR
T1 - A Mental Health Profile of 900 Newly Arrived Refugees in Denmark Using ICD-10 Diagnoses
AU - Hvass, Anne Mette Fløe
AU - Nyboe, Lene
AU - Lanng, Kamilla
AU - Nielsen, Claus Vinther
AU - Wejse, Christian
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - (1) Background: Recognizing mental health problems in newly arrived refugees poses a challenge. Little is known of the mental health profile of refugees currently arriving in Northern Europe. (2) Method: In total, we included 900 adult (≥18 years old) refugees arriving in Aarhus, Den-mark, between 1 January 2014 and 1 January 2020. All participants accepted an offer of a voluntary systematic health assessment from the municipality in Aarhus, including a mental health screening. (3) Results: Within this cohort, 26% (237/900) of the participants were referred to the Department of Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, 24% (212/900) were in contact with the department and 21% (185/900) received ≥1 psychiatric diagnosis. Within the subpopulation referred (n = 237), 64% (152/237) were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (DF431), 14% (34/237) with neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (F40–F48) and 13% (30/237) with major mood disorders (F30–F39). Among the participants referred to the Department of Psychiatry and participants receiving a diagnosis, we found an overrepresentation of participants originating from the Southern Asian region (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) and with an age above 44 years. (4) Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of both referrals and psychiatric diagnoses in newly arrived refugees. Atten-tion to psychiatric conditions in refugees and systematic health assessments during resettlement are needed.
AB - (1) Background: Recognizing mental health problems in newly arrived refugees poses a challenge. Little is known of the mental health profile of refugees currently arriving in Northern Europe. (2) Method: In total, we included 900 adult (≥18 years old) refugees arriving in Aarhus, Den-mark, between 1 January 2014 and 1 January 2020. All participants accepted an offer of a voluntary systematic health assessment from the municipality in Aarhus, including a mental health screening. (3) Results: Within this cohort, 26% (237/900) of the participants were referred to the Department of Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, 24% (212/900) were in contact with the department and 21% (185/900) received ≥1 psychiatric diagnosis. Within the subpopulation referred (n = 237), 64% (152/237) were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (DF431), 14% (34/237) with neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (F40–F48) and 13% (30/237) with major mood disorders (F30–F39). Among the participants referred to the Department of Psychiatry and participants receiving a diagnosis, we found an overrepresentation of participants originating from the Southern Asian region (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) and with an age above 44 years. (4) Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of both referrals and psychiatric diagnoses in newly arrived refugees. Atten-tion to psychiatric conditions in refugees and systematic health assessments during resettlement are needed.
KW - Displacement and migration
KW - Migrant health
KW - Migrant quality of life
KW - PTSD
KW - Refugee health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122096838&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/su14010418
DO - 10.3390/su14010418
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85122096838
SN - 2071-1050
VL - 14
JO - Sustainability
JF - Sustainability
IS - 1
M1 - 418
ER -