Prevalence of serious mental disorder in 7000 refugees resettled in western countries
Citation: Fazel M, Wheeler J, Danesh J. Prevalence of serious mental disorder in 7000 refugees resettled in western countries: a systematic review. Lancet. 2005;365(9467):1309-14.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: Nothing noted.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for interview-based psychiatric surveys of the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, psychotic illnesses, or generalised anxiety disorder among people who were refugees in economically developed countries. The authors searched for studies published in any language between 1966 and 2002. They restricted their searches to countries that were members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. They found 20 eligible surveys from seven countries (6,743 adults and 260 children aged less than 18 years).
What was found: Based on the included studies, the authors determined that about 9% of adult refugees were diagnosed with PTSD, 5% with major depression, 2% with a psychotic illness, and 4% with generalised anxiety disorder. Among children and adolescents younger than 18 years of age who were refugees, 11% were diagnosed with PTSD. Nine studies reported comorbid psychiatric diagnoses.
Implications: Based on the included studies, the authors of this review stated that there were tens of thousands of refugees with PTSD in OECD countries. Estimates for the prevalence of psychiatric disorders could inform policymakers and care providers.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of race, ethnicity, culture, and language.
This summary was written by Joly Ghanawi, checked by Sydney Johnson and finalized by William Summerskill.