Challenges in providing adequate mental health services to the refugee community in Bangkok

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze mental care services for the urban refugee community based in Bangkok, Thailand to see if it is a comprehensive, integrated, and responsive service. The delivery of effective patient care is still not met for service users, particularly, for the many who are unaware of the service, despite the collective effort from service providers, medical professionals, and the refugee communities themselves. Recent studies have found that the lack of skilled human resources and financial restrictions are the major causes for the ineffectiveness of the service. However, to date, little research has focused on the promotion of mental health and preventative mechanisms. The research employed a qualitative methodology to analyze the data from an in-depth interview with eight refugees, two counselors, and one legal advisor. The findings of this research suggest that social strategies should be implemented to improve the quality of care, by building trust and confidence in multi-cultural characteristics within a community taking into consideration expectations, beliefs, and needs. Thus, this research seeks to provide evidence of the challenges and opportunities through the implementation of social strategies to deliver adequate services to the refugee community. The results of the study may improve practices such as creating awareness of the existence of services, mitigating stigma, and strengthening inter-relations between the care professionals and the patient which could have positive impacts