Melbourne School of Population and Global Health - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableMental Health in Multicultural Australia(Springer Singapore, 2018)Cultural and linguistic diversity is a core feature of the Australian population and a valued element of national identity. The proportion of the population that will be overseas-born is projected to be 32% by 2050. While a very active process of mental health system reform has been occurring for more than two decades – at national state and territory levels – the challenges presented by cultural and linguistic diversity have not been effectively met. A review of Australian research on mental health of immigrant and refugee communities and their patterns of mental health service use reveals many gaps. Although lower rates of utilization of specialist public mental health services by immigrants and refugees are repeatedly reported, the lack of adequate population data prohibits conclusions about whether the observed patterns constitute underutilization. There are virtually no data on quality of service outcomes. A review of studies published in four key Australian journals reveals considerable neglect of cultural and linguistic diversity in Australia’s mental health research. The purpose of this chapter, which is an abbreviated and updated version of Minas et al. (Int J Mental Health Syst 7(1):23, 2013), is to examine what is known about the mental health of immigrant and refugee communities in Australia, whether Australian mental health research pays adequate attention to the fact of cultural and linguistic diversity in the Australian population, and whether national mental health data collections support evidence-informed mental health policy and practice and mental health reform in multicultural Australia. A set of strategic actions is suggested to improve knowledge about, and policy and service responses to, mental health problems in immigrant and refugee communities.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableMental Health System Development in Sri Lanka(Springer, 2017-02-23)We need to apply what some health analysts have called the 're-socializing' disciplines—history, anthropology, sociology and political economy—to understand more fully mental health in the Asia-Pacific region, and so, hopefully, to contribute ...
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ItemViet Nam(ASEAN Secretariat, 2016-12-01)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableMental Health Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Refugees(Springer, 2016)In 2013 there were 51.2 million persons worldwide who had been forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations. 16.7 million persons, half of whom were children, were refugees. More than 80 % were living in refugee camps and other generally temporary although often long-lasting arrangements, in developing countries. From this massive population, only 98,000 were resettled in refugee-receiving countries. The prevalence of mental disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, is greater in refugees than in non-refugees, although prevalence estimates vary greatly. As well as having poorer mental health, refugees are also more likely than non-refugee immigrants or host populations to experience poorer physical health, higher all-cause mortality, and higher cardiovascular mortality. Although the severe and persistent stress that is a central element of refugee experience is probably an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, it seems likely that the higher cardiovascular risk is mediated by mental disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, which are common in refugees and are clearly associated with increased cardiovascular risk. In addition, refugees are less likely to have access to effective mental health and general health services, resulting in further avoidable risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.