Refugee Mental Health in Resettlement Countries

Originally published in 1986, Refugee Mental Health in Resettlement Countries reviews the research on refugee social and psychological problems, presents recent studies on adjustment problems among refugees, and outlines clinical approaches to refugee patients at the time. One-third of the book considers issues and concerns relevant to child and adolescent refugees, which reflects their increased numbers in recent refugee movements and their different needs. The book is divided into four main parts: the first part provides important background information about refugee mental health in general; the second has descriptions of recent projects; the third makes specific treatment and assessment suggestions; and the fourth provides a summary and suggestions for the future. Today it can be read in its historical context.

Carolyn L. Williams is a Professor Emerita at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health. She is the author of books and scientific articles on refugees, psychological assessment, and adolescents. Working across cultures has been a longstanding interest. This includes being the only American and only woman appointed to a 5-person fact-finding mission by the World Health Organization (WHO) to refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodian border. She taught summer courses at Oxford University for professionals working around the world with refugees.

Joseph Westermeyer (1937–2024) was at the time of original publication based at University of Minnesota. He served as a physician and psychiatrist in Laos from 1965 to 1967. During that time, he worked extensively with various ethnic groups, including the Hmong, and became a leading expert on public health, addiction, and mental health in the region. He famously established a drug treatment center and his research from this period formed the basis of his influential book, Poppies, Pipes, and People: Opium and Its Use in Laos. His work in Laos was foundational for his later career in the USA as a renowned authority on refugee mental health, particularly among the Hmong communities that resettled in Minnesota, California, and other states.