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The Gulf War in 1991 resulted in an influx of refugees from Iraq to the United States and to other regions of the world. The purpose of this study was to describe the self-reported medical complaints of Iraqi American refugees who were seeking mental health services in southeastern Michigan. We anticipated that the frequency and pattern of medical symptoms would differ from that reported in the literature on United States Gulf War veterans or other Arab Americans who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s. Potential reasons for such differences include indirect effects, such as neglect of general health prior to and during the war, or direct effects, such as the impact of environmental changes from the war itself. As part of a larger study on the health of refugees from Iraq, self-reported medical conditions and symptoms were analyzed in a sample of 116 adult Iraqi immigrants (46 male, 70 female) who were seeking or already receiving outpatient mental health services (n = 87) or treatment in a partial hospitalization program (n = 29). Measures were translated into Arabic and administered in an interview format by one of two bilingual mental health workers. The results were consistent with other studies on refugees in which the number of medical complaints reported was relatively high. Discussion centers on the importance of addressing the specific medical needs of refugees in general, and of the Iraqi refugees in particular, and on how they may be better served within our primary health care systems.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the mental health needs of Iraqi immigrants who arrived in the United States in the 1990s after the Persian Gulf War. The records of 375 clients were examined at a clinic that serves Arab Americans. More posttraumatic stress disorder and health problems were found in Iraqi refugees than in other clients. Results suggest the need for further research on immigrants with traumatic histories to facilitate effective treatments.

Background Prenatal alcohol exposure can contribute to a wide range of neurodevelopmental impairments in children and adults including behavioral and neuropsychiatric disorders. In rhesus monkeys, we examined whether moderate-level prenatal alcohol exposure would alter acoustic startle responses and prepulse inhibition ( PPI) of the acoustic startle. PPI is a highly quantifiable measure of inhibitory neural processes or sensorimotor gating associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Methods Acoustic startle and PPI of the acoustic startle were tested in 37 adult rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta) from 4 experimental conditions: (i) moderate-level prenatal alcohol-exposed, (ii) prenatally stressed, (iii) moderate-level prenatal alcohol-exposed + prenatally stressed, and (iv) sucrose controls. Results Prenatal alcohol-exposed monkeys showed a higher magnitude of acoustic startle response and disrupted PPI compared with monkeys not exposed to alcohol prenatally. Monkeys in all conditions showed higher hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical ( HPA) axis responses after undergoing the startle procedure, but HPA responses were unrelated to startle response magnitude, latency, or PPI. Conclusions Finding altered PPI in monkeys prenatally exposed to a moderate dose of alcohol suggests that reduced sensorimotor gating is 1 effect of prenatal alcohol exposure. Because reduced sensorimotor gating is observed in many neuropsychiatric disorders, sensorimotor gating deficits could be an aspect of the comorbidity between fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and mental health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last century has seen an increase in the population of Americans of Arab and Chaldean descent. In recent decades, clinicians have articulated the goal of enhancing their knowledge of cultural diversity for the purpose of improving their appreciation for diversity and the quality of their mental health interventions with diverse populations. However, there is currently little systematic empirical research regarding the counseling of Arab and Chaldean Americans, although awareness of the need for such research among mental health professionals has started to emerge. The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative review of the values and socio-cultural forces that are relevant to the counseling of this population in North America, and to provide some culturally sensitive recommendations for working with American families of Arab and Chaldean ethnicity. In particular, we propose that effective interventions with clients of Arab and Chaldean ethnic backgrounds will need to be informed by an understanding of the everyday sociopolitical contextual background of target clients and the impact of values and acculturation processes on the family network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces C.R. Snyder's operationalization of the construct of hope as agency and pathways. It examines the links between refugees' feelings of hope and their symptoms of anxiety, depression and trauma. It criticizes the potential promise of hope as an antidote to maladaptation and dysfunction in the treatment of refugees. INSET: Refugees, Iraq, Immigrant Health.

The article presents articles and abstracts pertinent to mental health issues affecting Arab Americans. The epidemiology of Arab Americans in publicly funded substance abuse treatment programs is addressed. The potential causes of refugees' health problems are explored. The physical and mental health symptoms in immigrants from Iraq is examined.

Refugees suffer from a higher rate of mental health symptoms than the general population since they have experienced extreme suffering and the accumulated effects of trauma. Because of the diversity of regions from which refugees originate, there is a need to understand some of the unique experiences that are specific to each sub-groups of immigrants. The purpose of the present study was to explore mental health symptoms in Iraqi refugee clients who immigrated to the United States after the Gulf War of the early 1990's. As part of a larger study, 116 adult Iraqi immigrants to the United States (46 male, 70 females) who were seeking mental health services completed measures of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. As expected, the majority of refugees reported intense anxiety and depression, and many met the DSM IV criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Like refugees from other countries-of-origin, Iraqi refugees are in need of culturally sensitive assessment and mental health treatment. The results are discussed in light of the treatment needs of Iraqi refugee clients, their resilience and motivation for a better life, and the ways that health professionals can assist in optimizing their adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]