IDRAAC, in collaboration with the St Georges Hospital University Medical Center and as part of their annual congress, planned a "Community Mental Health Symposium" which hosted specialists in the field of mental health and psychosocial support and covered a variety of topics related to community mental health.
The symposium took place on Saturday October 20, 2018 at the Bechara Auditorium (facing the St Georges Hospital University Medical Center- Ashrafieh).
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During the symposium, Dr. Elie Karam, psychiatrist and mental health researcher at the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at the St. Georges Hospital University Medical Center and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Balamand and President of IDRAAC presented a study conducted by IDRAAC on a number of Lebanese schools which hosted Syrian and Lebanese students and showed that "the effects of domestic violence are stronger on individuals than the effects of war".
You can find below the main points discussed by the speakers.
Professor Richard Mollica, Director of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT) of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and one of the leading international researchers in the field of mental health care of survivors of violence and trauma discussed the issue of the return of refugees to their home country.
Professor Mollica presented the “Ghata” project for the Syrian refugees in Lebanon which he implemented with the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) at the American University of Beirut in collaboration with the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma.
He noted that we need to have “a different way of thinking about refugees: we have to move away from the approach of food, water and shelter, to an approach that has to do with people being restored to wellness after being damaged by terrible violence and atrocities. So our approach needs to be a restoration approach, not only the basic needs” he said.
He proposed a new “model in which we activate people from the time they distress to self-actualize themselves to go home, to have a job, to have a skill… since day one and not after years of displacement”.
He also shared the result of “his studies on a sample of displaced children in Lebanon which "revealed that children were highly traumatized, having witnessed and experienced terrible violence and atrocities. Rates of PTSD and depression were over 50% and bullying and domestic violence were high”.
The Director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service at the American University of Beirut Rabih Shibli also addressed the Ghata program and the impact of the "restorative environment" on the mental health of refugees in Lebanon. Shibli pointed out that “over half of the Syrian refugees living in Lebanon are under the age of 18, with more than 60% out of school. Although the crisis entered its seventh year, relief agencies are still predominantly using tents for the provision of shelter and education. “The average life span of a tent is 6 months, and the fabric and support elements are not adequate for the vicissitudes of the turbulent weather in semi-arid regions of the Middle East. “
He explained that the Ghata intervention has developed “10 portable school campuses located within refugees’ Informal Tented Settlements and serving around 5000 students annually”.
In addition, the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service partnered with the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT) for a “study in Lebanon on Syrian refugees to assess the frequency and impact of mental health problems and trauma outcomes (PTSD, Depression, Anxiety) on children aged 12-14 attending Ghata schools versus tented schools”.
(Dr. Rabih Shibli, Professor Richard Mollica, Dr. Eugene Augusterfer and Dr. Elie Karam on a site visit to the GHATA Project)
Caroline Cordahi-Tabet, child and adolescent psychologist at the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at the St. Georges Hospital University Medical Center and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Balamand and IDRAAC, gave a presentation titled “Resilience-Building Interventions within the School System” which addressed “evidence-based psychological intervention programs, aiming at promoting resilience in youth and emphasizing on the significant components and challenges to be considered when working with children and adolescents at risk.” She also elaborated on “models of intervention, aiming at enhancing children and adolescent resilience and improving their mental health in the face of adversity”. These programs were implemented in several schools with mental health professionals who helped a large number of children affected by war and displacement in learning behavioral skills which would help them overcome psychological difficulties. She also shared a series of challenges and recommendations to be considered when working in community mental health programs.
Dr. Elie Karam, psychiatrist and mental health researcher at the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at the St. Georges Hospital University Medical Center and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Balamand and President of IDRAAC, discussed “Improving Mental Health and Personal Competence” and explained a “therapeutic intervention, aiming at improving the children and adolescents mental wellbeing delivered by teachers in the classroom”.
The intervention was provided to both Lebanese and Syrian refugees in their classrooms. The study also highlighted the role of personal competence as an important mediator in predicting the improvement in mental health outcomes (such as depression and anxiety). The study was also based on an important indicator which is the sensitivity of children (ie, to what extent the child is sensitive to his/her surrounding). The main findings of the study was that "the domestic violence that refugee children may face negatively affects their mental health and its impact is stronger than that of war on the child.” This is why he stressed the importance of "working to provide a healthy home environment for the improvement of children's mental health".
Dr. Elie Stephan, Geriatric Physician discussed active ageing which is becoming an important necessity, because the number of elderly is growing and disability is a social and financial burden.
He stressed that the environment needs to be facilitating activity by the presence of space needed, easy access, safe places and friendly ways. Studies have shown that activity is better when these factors are present. An important number of data are in favor of the role of physical activity on ameliorating health status in seniors and this effect is always positive whatever the age of beginning is.
Nutrition and other factors in life style were also proven to have a positive clinical effect of the health of our seniors: modifiable factors to differentiate them from genetic (non-modifiable) factors.
Lately, with the arrival at the third age, of many educated, computer-trained, digitally invited seniors, studies have been conducted to analyze the effect of social media and electronic social networking on mental and physical health of elderly. Results were positive and encouraging the use of such interaction that is challenging in a continuous and evolving way.
Dr. Georges Karam, Adult and Geriatric Psychiatrist, explained that "depression affects one in every 10 people aged 60 and above. Studies have shown that loneliness and social isolation are major risk factors for depression in older adults. Once present, depression worsens overall physical health." Also "direct costs linked to depression are increased." In parallel, depression is a risk factor for developing dementia. In order to protect older adults from depression (and worsening dementia and other medical disorders), community interventions have to take place that fight social isolation. Such an intervention was initiated by IDRAAC in collaboration with the municipality of Byblos where jobs and volunteer activities were created to stimulate older adults and re-engage them in society thus fighting social isolation. The aim of this intervention was to protect older adults from developing depression.
