Definitions Of Migration

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Migration is a common phenomenon that has been in existence for a long time, one of the definitions of migration is “a process of people adapting to a new environment which involves making decisions, preparations, going through the procedure, shifting physically to another geographical area, adjusting to the local cultural needs and becoming a part of the local system” (Virupaksha, Kumar & Nirmala, 2014). This may be due to many reasons, most times the reason for migration is to seek for a greener pasture and to have a better and fulfilled life, if the previous statement is true, then the question is why is mental illness a common occurrence among migrants? Unforeseen circumstances, language barrier, cultural differences, inadequate preparation …show more content…

The most prominent factors from the findings were “communication difficulties because of language and cultural differences, the effect of cultural shaping of symptoms and illness, behavior on diagnosis, coping and treatment, differences in family structure, process affecting adaptation, acculturation and integrational conflict, and aspects of acceptance by the receiving society that affect employment, social status and integration” (Kirmayer et al; 2011). Articles the researchers reviewed were from MEDLINE, Health Star(Ovid), EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews from January 1998 to December 2009. The total amount of articles collected were 840, but only 130 articles were selected including 10 systematic reviews and 5 meta analyses. According to this research “strong evidence showed that some group of migrants have an elevated incidence of psychotic disorder after migration” (Kirmayer et al; 2011). The research also showed that “factors related to increased risk include coming from a developing country and an area where most of the population are black, suggesting that racism and discrimination have a role in elevated incidence” (Kirmayer et al; 2011). Discrimination and racism can lead to isolation, lack of social support and emotional problems which may negatively impact mental health. Another factor …show more content…

Availability of good jobs, social support, less discrimination, access to health care service and in general good public services will affect migrants’ mental health positively. There should also be establishment of programs and policies by the government to help new migrants, health care services should be readily available, accessible and affordable. Health practitioners and translators should get education on cultural diversity to help build therapeutic relationships. This will facilitate client centered care which brings about collaboration between immigrants and health practitioners, this will be useful to address health needs and appropriate interventions. Another area is to work with migrants’ families and communities as this may help to identify stressors and come up with specific interventions that will help to improve overall wellbeing. Communities of the migrants also have important roles to play, presence of religious organizations, people of the same culture and ethnic background can help to offer counselling and support which will cause a sense of belonging, remove discrimination, racial issues and isolation that migrants

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