Spotlight on Suicide Prevention: Bhutanese Refugees

Suicide among Bhutanese refugees resettled in the U.S. has become an increasing concern. Some reports suggest that suicide rates have increased in Bhutanese culture as a whole and are also unusually high in refugee camps and post-resettlement.  In response, federal agencies are coordinating efforts to understand, address and prevent suicide among

Bhutanese and other refugee groups. Some of these efforts include:

• A report commissioned by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), Department of State that assesses psychosocial needs and suicide risk factors among Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and after the third country resettlement;
• A workshop with Bhutanese community leaders facilitated by RHTAC at the Project SOAR Annual Workshop for Ethnic Community Self-Help and Supplemental Services Program held in San Diego March 2011;
• Ongoing interagency calls to ensure coordination of response.

At RHTAC, we are working closely with these agencies and local communities to gather information and develop resources to assist providers and Bhutanese and other refugee communities. Watch for announcements regarding webinars, fact sheets and toolkits that will support and promote promising practices in preventing suicide among refugees in our upcoming newsletters.

As we develop these resources, we invite you to comment, share strategies and experiences, ask questions, or otherwise participate in shaping the discussion and solutions around the growing concern of suicide among refugees. There will be a community forum on the website, but in the meantime, please send us an email at refugeehealth@jsi.com.

We asked. You responded.

Last month we invited you to complete a user survey and, to date, have received more than 250 responses from clinicians, public health professionals, case managers, educators and researchers. We are already seeing a strong interest in mental health screening, PTSD, trauma, cultural competence, and language access. More detailed information about your feedback will be made available on our website in the coming months. 

If you haven't already, we encourage you to take the survey.

Conferences & Trainings

Save the Date: August 1-2 2011,Washington D.C

ORR 2011 National Consultation "Bridges to a New Future" 

May 8-12, 2011, Boston MA

International Society of Travel Medicine 

June 1-3, 2011,Toronto, Canada

Canadian Refugee Health: Health means the world to us 

October 24 - 26, 2011, Seattle, Washington

4th Annual National Immigrant Integration Conference 2011 

Applications Deadline: July 1st, 2011

Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery Certificate Training Program 

Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma at the Harvard Medical School and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità/Italian Ministry of Health.  

RHTAC is a project of the Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and is funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. Grant #90RB270602.

For more information, please contact 617 983 6589 or write charlot.lucien@state.ma.us