Experts fear Syrian refugee mental health needs too high

Organizations helping resettle Syrian refugees in the US might not be prepared for, and what refugees themselves might be in denial about is the need to treat the mental scars of war, experts said.

NGO’s working with refugees said it is too early to assess the full scope of their mental health needs, AP reported.

However, experts say it is important to keep tabs on the emotional state of new arrivals, since symptoms may not appear until months or years later — well after most resettlement support services have ended.

"They’re in the honeymoon phase," said Richard Mollica, a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School who has spent decades working with torture and genocide victims.

"In the first year, they’re so happy to be out of that situation. They feel something wonderful is going to happen in America,” Mollica said.

"It’s only about two years later or so when there’s a mental health crisis," he said. "It’s at that point that reality hits and they really need a lot of mental health care."

AP reported that, such stresses — finding a job, adjusting to a new culture or dealing with life apart from family — can also contribute to mental health problems, said Bengt Arnetz, a professor at Michigan State University who has been studying trauma in Middle Eastern refugees.