Presentation Information
[SY-63-04]The recognition of grief in traumatized refugees in Dutch mental health care
*Simon Groen (De Evenaar, Center for Transcultural Psychiatry, GGZ Drenthe(Netherlands))
Keywords:
grief,refugees,PTSD
Metareviews have shown that common mental disorders (CMD) such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety disorders are most prevalent in refugees worldwide. Clinicians may therefore focus on these disorders in the diagnostic process. The clinical case of a Syrian patient who received four types of trauma treatment without success until a clinician found out about the loss of his child. Treatment focused on prolonged grief disorder (PGD) resulted in reduction of symptoms. Research among refugees and Dutch CMD patients revealed that one third met criteria for PGD. Refugees run four to five times higher risk of developing PGD after the loss of a loved one. Qualitative research among clinicians showed that they are more focused on CMD than on PGD, discover grief-related mental health symptoms only during treatment and are unaware of differences between CMD and PGD. Thematic analysis of bereavement and grief interviews among patients who met criteria for PGD symptoms clarified tensions between cultural and individual circumstances of grief.