July 2020
/
Full text: Tracy, D., Joyce, D., Albertson, D., & Shergill, S. (2020). Kaleidoscope. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 217(1), 402-403. doi:10.1192/bjp.2020.95
Read the full June 2020 Kaleidoscope column in BJPsych for free
Tell your story…a challenging prospect if you are a vulnerable refugee. Sadly, there are an estimated 68 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced by war and persecution. Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are notably high in refugee groups, but rates of seeking and obtaining care are low. Various factors contribute: from stigma about mental illness and fear of authority figures, through cultural and linguistic barriers, to suffering direct and indirect discrimination. Nickerson et al report on a randomised controlled trial to reduce stigma and enhance help-seeking, in over 100 men seeking asylum in Australia, all with PTSD symptomatology.1 Participants either undertook an 11-module online ‘Tell your story’ (TYS) intervention, or stayed on a waiting list control group. All undertook assessments on stigma, PTSD symptomatology and help-seeking intentions at baseline, on completion of the intervention (or control) and 1 month subsequently. The 11 modules took participants through a stepped process about their personal journey, in topics such as ‘surviving stress’ and ‘how can talking help?’ Those in the TYS group showed significant reductions in stigma and increases in help-seeking behaviour. The whole principle is remarkably simple, and – dare we say it – obvious; its online nature makes it easily scalable. Could this narrative approach provide an accessible avenue to assist some of society's most vulnerable individuals to access the care they deserve?