Refugees experience higher rates of depression and other mental health issues, due to the traumatic things they’ve experienced or witnessed related to conflict, displacement and the challenges of resettling in a new community. In addition, many people who’ve fled crises have lost access to their doctors and usual means of income—making it harder to get support when they need it.
Fatima, a 38-year-old Syrian woman living in Lebanon, struggled with persistent low mood, fatigue, loss of appetite, negative thoughts and insomnia. But she was unable to seek medical help due to financial constraints.
Lebanon currently houses about 1.5 million Syrian refugees—the highest per-capita number of refugees globally. International Medical Corps has played a leading role in ensuring access to quality medical and mental health care to refugees, vulnerable Lebanese and other at-risk people. One way we do this is by training primary healthcare providers to detect, refer, diagnose and treat mild to moderate mental disorders, integrating mental health care into all of the services they offer.
Our healthcare team recognized that Fatima might be experiencing mental health challenges, so they referred her to a primary healthcare center for assessment. As a result, our mental health case management team referred Fatima to a psychiatrist, who diagnosed her with major depressive disorder. To manage her condition, the psychiatrist prescribed antidepressant medication.
Fatima began her treatment plan and noticed significant improvement within a month. Her mood stabilized, her energy levels increased and her overall well-being improved significantly. This positive transformation enabled her to gradually return to her daily life and resume her usual activities. And thanks to the support we provide to local pharmacies, she can consistently get the medication she needs to treat her depression.
Thanks to generous donations from IHP-UK and other gift-in-kind partners, International Medical Corps has been able to improve the lives of many vulnerable men, women, and children in Lebanon. With sustained support, we will continue to ensure a stable supply of psychotropic medications, ultimately reducing suffering and saving lives. International Medical Corps is grateful for IHP-UK’s support of our relief efforts in Lebanon, and we look forward to continued lifesaving collaborations with all of our valued medical donation partners.