Suicide Among Refugees--A Mockery of Humanity

Crisis - Journal Article

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report “World at War” released in June 2015 states that in 2014 there were 19.5 million refugees, 38.2 million were displaced inside their own countries, and 1.8 million people were asylum seekers. Worldwide displacement was at the highest level recorded. There is overwhelming evidence that being a refugee and seeking asylum are both directly and indirectly a stressful and disturbing experience and such experience is closely related to suicide and self-harm (Procter, 2004). There is a dearth of information in the literature about suicide among refugees and asylum seekers. The prevalence of suicidal behavior among refugees ranged from 3.4 to 34% accordingly to a recent review (Vijayakumar & Jotheeswaran, 2010). The universally accepted association between suicide and psychological disorders has not been studied adequately in this special population. Prevention and intervention programs to reduce suicidal behavior in refugees and asylum seekers have not been reported in a single study. Priority should be given to developing a culturally and contextually appropriate tool for assessment of suicide ideation and behavior in refugees and asylum seekers. There is an urgent need to acknowledge the magnitude of the problem, and this requires easy access to accurate and transparent data. The process must occur at all levels of service. Ignoring suicides among refugees is a mockery of humanity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

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