01-12-2018 | Overview
The hidden cost of development—a review of mental health issues of displaced tribal populations in India
Published in: Journal of Public Health | Issue 6/2018
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Aim
The main aim of this study was to assess the psychological consequences that displacement brings into the lives of India’s tribal populations, specifically, in the form of mental illness.
Subject and methods
Literature review.
Results
The impact of forced displacement on the mental state of tribal populations is significant and multi-faceted. In spite of sufficient evidence indicating the extent of mental health challenges, the Governmental response in India has been completely missing. Some of the challenges in the path of Indian health providers are poor diagnostic facilities, lack of psychiatric epidemiological data for tribal populations, and culturally inappropriate instruments. Scientists and practitioners can play an important role in bridging the knowledge gap in the field.
Conclusion
It is necessary to perceive the mental health status of displaced tribal populations within the larger framework of social justice. A strictly biomedical approach is insufficient when the individuals seeking help are under constant stress. Thus, a mental health program is needed for tribal people that offers a perspective broad enough to address the needs of individuals and the local worlds in which they live.