International Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research

International Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research

Current Issue Volume No: 1 Issue No: 4

Research-article Article Open Access
  • Available online freely Peer Reviewed
  • Mental Health Scenario Of Climate Migrant Women Among Slum Dwellers In Dhaka City

    Amjad Karisma 1
       

    1 PhD Fellow, Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.  

    Abstract

    Climate change is a global challenge which is likely to affect the mankind in substantial ways. Not only climate change is expected to affect physical health, it is also likely to affect mental health. Increased frequency of disasters with climate change can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder, and depression. Changes in climate may require population to migrate, which can lead to acculturation stress. It can also lead to increased rates of physical illnesses, which secondarily would be associated with psychological distress. Using a qualitative approach, this research explores the mental health status of migrant women in two urban slum areas in Dhaka city. The purpose of this study is to perform a review of existing secondary data and present mental health scenario of climate migrant women among slum dwellers and amplified gaps in knowledge regarding psychological health care system in Bangladesh. It is found that there is a lack of mental health preparedness and response in majority parts in the country specially the city slum, where aid cannot be reached to the sufferers. The paper concludes with a discussion of what can and should be done to tackle the expected mental health issues consequent to climate change and migration.

    Author Contributions
    Received Jul 18, 2020     Accepted Jul 28, 2020     Published Aug 14, 2020

    Copyright© 2020 Amjad Karisma.
    License
    Creative Commons License   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

    Competing interests

    The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

    Funding Interests:

    Citation:

    Amjad Karisma (2020) Mental Health Scenario Of Climate Migrant Women Among Slum Dwellers In Dhaka City International Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research. - 1(4):30-40
    DOI 10.14302/issn.2574-612X.ijpr-20-3491

    Introduction

    Introduction

    Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the fastest growing megacities in the world. In 2005; approximately 3.4 million out of the city's 12.6 million inhabitants were living in slums 12. Today, the city comprises approximately 14 million inhabitants 2 with more than 300,000 new migrants, mainly the rural poor, moving to Dhaka each year 34. As most of these new immigrants initially concentrate in slums, Dhaka's population growth led to an increase in the proportion of slum dwellers from 20% in 1996 to 37% in 2005, which presents a daunting challenge for local health authorities 15.

    Climate related disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and bush-fires are often associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders. Individuals who have been exposed to life threatening situations are at a considerable risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 67. The symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks of the event, increased arousal and avoidance of cues to the memory of the event. In many cases, the symptoms of PTSD may have a delayed onset, months to years after the experiencing of threatening disaster situation 89. Development of PTSD is associated with impairment in the quality of life and significant subjective distress 10.

    Individuals who have been through the experience of climate related natural disaster are not only at a higher risk of developing PTSD, but also at a greater risk of developing acute stress reaction and adjustment disorder 1112. These disorders are anxiety spectrum disorders which can subside over a period of time with rehabilitations and/or treatment. Other stress exacerbated disorder includes development of acute and transient psychosis and relapse of bipolar disorder. Faced with the loss of home, environment, social structures and loved ones, an individual may develop a bereavement (grief reaction) or depression. The depression is likely to be more pronounced in those who live in small rural communities, than those living in big cities 13. As the impact of climate change seems to be increasing over the time period, it is likely that a greater proportion of the population would be impacted by the mental health consequences of climate change related disasters 14.

    Although the number of mental health professionals in Bangladesh is significantly inadequate, Govt. of Bangladesh has positive policy regarding the training of graduate doctors and civil surgeons, health assistance, nurses and religious leaders is a welcoming step towards wider acceptance of the magnitude of psychological problems after disaster and provide support service to reduce mental stress and trauma. The change in the approach of psychological support to reduce mental stress and trauma first came in 1996, when a NGO named as “Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for Physically Vulnerable (SARPV, 1996)” reporting 66% of tornado affected people in Tangail district were psychologically traumatized 1516. In 2011, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) organized a pilot training with BRAC Bangladesh to establish a system of enhancing the capacities of communities in psychological first aid to be able to manage victims immediately after disaster. However, as it was a pilot training program so there is no permanent footstep in this arena 17.

    The lack of data on the burden of disease morbidity and mental health status in slums hampers the efficient allocation of health care initiatives and the provision of appropriate disease prevention services 18. Given that psychological well-being is associated with physiological well-being 19, assessing the factors that describe the mental well-being of poor populations residing in urban slums is urgently needed.

    Attention has been drawn to the variety of health impact of climate change. Global climate change is likely to be associated with spread of vector borne diseases, injuries and deaths due to extreme weather conditions such as floods, storms, and cyclones, thermal injury due to exposure to heat, risk of spread of water-borne infections due to floods and coastal water warming, and reduction in regional crop yields leading to malnutrition 2021222324. The impact of global climate change on health is likely to be substantial. Mental health comprises an important component of health and is also likely to be affected by global climate change. The present narrative review discusses the current mental health scenario of climate migrant women among slum dwellers in Dhaka city.

    Objectives of the Study

    To manifest the current mental health scenario of climate migrant women among slum dwellers in Dhaka city.

    To suggest some recommendations for focusing psychological impacts during and after migration in the context of climate change.

    Methodology of the Study

    In order to understand the current mental health scenario of climate migrant women among slum dwellers in Dhaka city. Principal data collection method used documentation Research site selections depend on the general information which collected from documentation survey. The researcher conducted the study on secondary data. The systematic review has done according to the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis (PRISMA) standard 2526.

    Eligibility Criteria and Search Strategies

    A litterateur search was conducted in August 2019 to identify article/ Journal papers provide evidence of disaster mental health practice in Bangladesh. This study used an extensive collection of search methods in the literature review. The search plan was used varied publications with a combination of subject title and free text searching such as mental health in disaster, effect of disasters in psychology, psychological intervention during and after disaster, mental disorder, community mental health services for climate migrant women, disaster psychology and Bangladesh etc. Most of the investigations were found in Google Scholar. Additional literature was gathered through institution research, project papers etc.

    Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

    This study included that described the concept of mental health management in natural disasters, the existing practices of psychological intervention in Bangladesh, gaps in psychological first aid in different context. This systematic search has been retrieved from articles published between 1996 to 2018 s the term mental health recognized in late 1996 in the focus was unrelated to the purpose.

    Selection of Articles and Analysis

    In the beginning articles were selected based on their titles but later based on their abstracts to eliminate that did not meet up inclusion criteria. In this systematic review, the articles were derived from both qualitative and quantitative studies. Some international articled were also reviews to compare the case in the subject of mental health and after disaster climate migrant women deprivation among Bangladesh and other countries. Researchers have been followed thematic analysis process and also employ data triangulation method in order to have a thick description.

    Data Extraction and Management

    Data on authors, year of publication, method, target group, study design and assessment tools used were extracted by the authors. Results from the selected papers were extract and gathered in summary. Included paper were grouped by subject and fields of determine once the data were completely collected.

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