Best practices in refugee mental health

Abstract

Canada has a long history of accepting immigrants and refugees. These populations may have unique health care needs that the Canadian health care system must adequately address. Currently, there are numerous barriers to the treatment of refugee mental health concerns. These include cultural, language, financial, and systemic barriers. Best practices for treatment in this population include psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and narrative exposure therapy, medications, and health promotion and psychosocial interventions. Physicians have previously advocated for improving health care for Canada’s refugee population and medical schools are working to incorporate multicultural education into their curricula.