Medication use for depression, anxiety and PTSD among migrants and ethnic minorities: a systematic review

Details

Supervisors

Tubeuf, Sandy ; Boggian, Luigi

Faculty

Faculté de santé publique

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de la santé publique, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Objective: Mental health has a heavy weight in public health. Depression and anxiety are worldwide present, and have been aggravated since the covid-19 crisis. Migrants and refugees are among the most vulnerable populations for these mental conditions. The goal of this dissertation is to identify disparities in access and use of appropriate mental health pharmacological treatment. Methods: A systematic review has been done for this purpose. Four main databases have been used. Only quantitative studies, referring to adults and talking about pharmacological treatment have been included. Results: Fifty-nine articles were included at the end of the selection process. This review shows poor access to mental health care for immigrants and minorities in most of the countries. Moreover, when accessing care, the quality of care is not always adhering to guidelines. Ethnic minorities had usually less probabilities to have psychotropic medication prescriptions. Conclusion: Disparities in mental health treatment for immigrants or ethnic minority groups remain. Different barriers have also been identified as an explanation. Therefore, new strategies should be adopted by governments to improve mental health of the most disadvantaged populations.