The Principles of Mental Health Promotion in Relation to the Mental Health of Refugees

An individual can take steps to promote their mental well-being and mental health. These steps could be social connections, being active, learning and developing themselves, social involvement and self awareness. Connecting with other people and developing relationships are important for an individual’s mental well-being. Staying active can help maintain a positive mental state. Learning new skills can create a sense of achievement and improve self esteem. Involvement in the local community or other social groups can develop strong social inclusion encouraging mental well-being. Being aware of own feelings and emotional state means an individual can maintain their mental well-being.

Mental health is a person’s emotional and physiological well-being; some immigrants come to the country hoping for an easier and happier life, however, this is not always the case. As stated previously in lecture, assimilating to a new language, new food, and different cultural norms can be mentally draining. Experiences like exposure to war, death of loved ones, violence, oppression, and torture will likely make one mentally unstable and further complicates the resettlement process. The process of assimilating into a new cultural is mentally taxing to the soul, you are having to throw away all that you know and create a facade in order to be accepted. In my opinion, refugees and immigrants display poor mental health on arrival due to a combination

A national strategy for promoting mental wellbeing and mental health is No Health Without Mental Health.

For the purpose of this essay the author sought to explore PDSA cycle and identified health promotion in mental health patients as an area for service improvement. It is evident that the life of patients suffering from psychosis, mood and behaviour disturbances is failing. Tranter et al (2012), Happell et al (2013) and Robinson and Potts (2014) suggest that these patients suffer from various physical health conditions such as coronary heart disease, respiratory problems, diabetes and cancers which consequently leads to a reduced life expectancy of 10 -20 years compared to the general population. According to Tranter et al (2012) there are three types of interventions which can be used to improve the health and wellbeing of patients suffering from mental illness. They are assessment of physical health, health education or promotion and multimodal interventions. Roberts and Bailey (2013) suggested that adherence and engaging individuals with these interventions is a major

Refugees are people who crossed borders, fleeing due to problems related to race religion and nationality. While fleeing, refugees unknowingly carry many diseases due to lack of mental help and attention. When coming to a new country, refugees have no self-esteem to get jobs due to the language barrier. Refugees who flee their country and sacrifice everything are confident and strong willed with all the obstacles that come through their journey to start a new life. The long-term effects that a refugee experiences due to forced migration is Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Forced migration has a negative mental and physical affect on refugees.

First, they have high physical health need as a result of conditions such as poverty and abuse that may existed in their origin country or the difficulties they face during their journey from their home country. They are at risk of ill-health and need special health care when they reach their destination country and through resettlement. On the other hand, as they may be carry contagious disease they should be screened and quarantined to guarantee the health of host population (Lawrence & Kearns, 2005; Grove & Zwi, 2006). Moreover, it has proved by many studies that mental health problems are their main health concern. Most of them experienced violence, war, and torture in their home country before migration. Before reaching to the host country they were struggling to survive and they experience high level of stress and anxiety during resettlement. (Lawrence & Kearns,

Mental Health is a state of social, emotional and psychological well-being. Mental health affects every part of our life and determines our ability to function, handle stress and make decisions. Throughout life, we have good and bad experiences which affect how we handle situations. The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015 was passed on September 30, 2015. The purpose of this act is to improve programs ordered by the Department of Health and Human Services to increase awareness, prevention and early identification of mental illnesses. Some challenges that affect mental health care in America include lack of knowledge regarding healthcare and insurance, lack of funding, no minimum standards, and lack of access to medication.

Economic instability, apart from causing stress about finances in general, creates a negative influence in the immigrant's life because of the lost of social interaction that is associated with the workspace, leaving the immigrant feeling alone and depressed (Kennedy 446). Economic hardships are also related to mental health because of it's connection to unattainability of mental health support. A study conducted by affiliates of Geneva University Hospitals Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry found that psychiatrists they observed believed immigrants who did not receive the mental health they needed also lacked the secure housing conditions and employment (bartlomei 3). If the issue of providing mental health support were addressed, consequently the issues of economic misfortunes would be analyzed as well, and to some degree, lessened. Therefore, immigrants should be provided mental health support they need so as to address the underlying issues related with low accessibility, such as income instability. In the same way mental health and accessibility is correlated to economic insecurity of immigrant families, mental illness is also correlated directly to the economy of the host nation. Mental illness is a prominent factor in immigrant dropouts lives, in fact a study conducted by Cathrine Hjorth, Line Bilgrav, Louise

The issue of asylum seekers recently was reignited, with the dramatic increase in the number of illegal boats arriving in Australia. From the 30th of September 2013, there were a reported 6,403 people in closed detention, this number including 1,078 children. It is not surprising from these high detention rates and poor living standards that between January 2011 and February 2013 that there were 4,313 reported incidents of actual, threatened or attempted serious self-harm in these immigration detention facilities. From 12 deaths that occurred between the 1st of July 2010 and the 20th of June 2013 6 of these have been found by coroners to be suicides (Triggs, 2013). These statistics are incredibly alarming, especially when not much action is being taken to prevent not only mental illness but also the consequences of prolonged mental illness - suicide. The purpose of this report is to analyse and scrutinize the reason why mental health issues for asylum seekers are becoming an issue in Australia, and find out what exactly is being done to combat this ever-growing issue in Australia.

This report examines that the impacts of immigration detention and violating of human rights with the mental health care of asylum seekers. In the recent years, increased number of illegal immigrants arriving by boat in Australia. This raises key issues concerning about mental health of asylum-seekers, especially for detained immigrants. Research shows that Australia currently own around 13,000 refugees per annum, under the Refugee Convention (1951), Australia has obligation to evaluate refugee claims, but it processes only 2.2% of them made to 44 industrialised countries (p.315).

The Interim Federal Health Plan of Canada [IFHP] sets out a guideline of specific healthcare costs that the government of Canada covers for refugees, protected persons and victims of human trafficking. The IFHP was implemented into Canada’s system in 1957, and was responsible for financing refugee health care in Canada until drastic changes to the program were implemented. When policies are implemented beyond the control of a vulnerable population such as the refugees, it is important we understand the implications of such changes and what that means for the health of the refugee population. The question stemming from this health issue is what can nursing leaders do to address the health inequities posed to the refugee

Definition of Health Promotion is increasing awareness, indentifying alternatives and influencing attitudes of the people, so that they can make an informed decision and change their behaviors to achieve an optimal level of mental, physical and social health. Health promotion is also defined as the process of empowering people to improve and take control of their health to optimize the quality of their lives. Ennis et al (2006) has explained health promotion as emotional, cognitive and behavioral endeavor to promote well being and health of the people. Davis (1995) expresses a deeper perspective in which preventive health science, social environment,

Ruddick, F. (2013) ‘Promoting mental health and wellbeing’, Nursing Standard, 27 (24), pp.35-39 is the article that I found most beneficial and relevant that will enable me to explain and analyse research or evaluate ]my future role and professional practice as a mental health nurse in promoting the mental health and wellbeing of Patients. It is vital that all nurses see this as imperative and an aspect that should be prioritised alongside the other as they inevitably affect each other and act as preventative measures that will avert associated health conditions.

The World Health Organization defines physical and mental health as: “A state of complex physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease.” Despite cultural differences, many societies know the importance of good mental health. However, many still search for ways to promote mental health, which raises the question of, how can mental health be achieved?

The World health Organisation says Health promotion is a method using an assortment of social and environmental interventions to support individuals in managing and improving their own health. (WHO, 2016).