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The mental health needs of immigrant workers in Gulf countries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Muhammad Ajmal Zahid  and
Mohammad Alsuwaidan
Muhammad Ajmal Zahid
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Health Sciences Center, Kuwait University, Kuwait, email zahid@hsc.edu.kw
Mohammad Alsuwaidan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Health Sciences Center, Kuwait University, Kuwait, and Divisions of Brain Therapeutics and Philosophy, Humanities and Educational Scholarship, University of Toronto, Canada
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Abstract

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The oil-rich member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) attract large numbers of migrant workers. The reported rates of psychiatric morbidity among these migrant workers are higher than among nationals, while the mental health services in the GCC countries remain inadequate in terms of both staff and service delivery. The multi-ethnic origin of migrants poses considerable challenges in this respect. The development of mental illness in migrants, especially when many of them remain untreated or inadequately treated, results in their premature repatriation, and the mentally ill migrant ends up facing the same economic hardships which led to migration in the first place. The availability of trained interpreters and transcultural psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers should make psychiatric diagnoses more accurate. Suitable rehabilitation services are also needed.

Type
Guest editorials
Information
International Psychiatry , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , November 2014 , pp. 79 - 81
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits noncommercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists 2014

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