19. Refugee Mental Health

Release date: September 30th, 2022

Dr. Laura Roberts is joined by J. David Kinzie M.D., co-editor of The Psychiatric Evaluation and Treatment of Refugees. They discuss Kinzie’s career-spanning work in this field, and hear his thoughts on treating people suffering from intense trauma and stigmatization, some of whom have suffered horrific experiences in their lives. He discusses the toll such work can have upon clinicians and counsellors, but also outlines his approach to the work and how to lean into it for the best results. Producer’s note: Regrettably, some parts of this recording are less than perfect, so be sure to check out the full transcript on the episode’s dedicated page: https://psychiatryonline.org/psychiatry-unbound

In this episode:

Introduction (0:31)
Why the world needs this book (2:25)
Thoughts on difficulties and demands posed by treating refugees (6:54)
The work of David’s department (10:15)
Sample cases from the book (11:45)
The role of stigmatization (14:19)
Special ways of working with counsellors (15:30)
Advice to “everyday psychiatrists” (17:15)
The importance of story-telling (26:00)

Show Notes and Resources:
The Psychiatric Evaluation and Treatment of Refugees (American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2022)

Learn more about Dr. J. David Kinzie here.

Transcript and More Episodes:
https://psychiatryonline.org/psychiatry-unbound