The issue of treatments for mental health problems can be controversial. There is a wide range of medical and therapeutic treatments on offer and we have provided information reflecting this range, without making value judgements about their use. However, a number of concerns have been raised over the years about the over-medicalisation of mental health treatments and practitioners have begun to explore the possibility of using complementary therapies, as well as exploring new kinds of 'talking cures'. It has also been noted that some treatments offered in the UK may not always be appropriate to all refugees, whose cultures may perceive mental health problems differently.

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18 Items

Medical Foundation

Guide to Health Workers Providing Care for Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Angela Burnett, 2002

This briefing for the Medical Foundation includes guidance on the mental health problems experienced by refugees, and the role of complementary therapies and traditional healthcare. (PDF)

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NHS/DH

Meeting the Health Needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK

Angela Burnett and Yohannes Fassil, 2002

This comprehensive resource pack for health care workers includes information on psychological therapies and counselling. (PDF)

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Health Needs of Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Angela Burnett and Michael Peel, British Medical Journal 322, pp. 544-547, 2001

This article "one of a series of three papers by two senior medical examiners from the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture" includes information on counselling.

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The study of trauma victims

Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 1999

This article refers to a seminar at New York University on treating Kosovars arriving at Fort Dix and includes details of first hand experience of the chaos of the Bosnian refugee camps. It reports frustration at how difficult it was to help terrorised survivors cope with their trauma.

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Family Therapies and Human Rights Working with Refugees

Jeremy Woodcock, Mental Health Nursing, 1995

This article, reproduced by the Medical Foundation, explores the use of family therapy with refugees. It argues that the therapist needs to combine an understanding of the refugee's tradition and beliefs with mainstream therapeutic work and includes a case study to illustrate how this can be achieved. It also calls for commitment to the human rights values embedded in medical practice.

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British Association for Counselling

Organisation offering information on counselling and registered counsellors. The site also includes guidance on how to find a therapist in your area.

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Department of Health

Choosing Talking Therapies

This booklet produced by the Department of Health explains the types of psychological help available within the National Health Service (NHS). It gives an explanation of different types of talking therapies and how they may assist you.

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Mind

The Pros and Cons of Alternative Therapies

Dr Katherine Darton

An article in Mind's magazine on race and mental health, Diverse Minds, looking at the use of alternative therapies and their application for mental health.

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NICE

Schizophrenia Atypical Antipsychotics

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has made recommendations to the NHS (in England and Wales) about the use of atypical antipsychotics as an alternative to traditional medicines for the treatment of newly diagnosed schizophrenia.

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Open Mind

Different types of medication are regularly reviewed in Open Mind, the magazine of mental health charity Mind.

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