ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on migrants: people who were born in another country than where they are living. Migrants suffer disproportionately from the social determinants of poor mental health, including barriers to participating in society, perceived discrimination, social support and health literacy. The prevalence of depression in migrants varies between 5% and 44% compared to 8%–12% in general population and for anxiety the prevalence in migrants varies from 4% to 40% compared to 5% in the general population. Also psychotic disorders are two to three times more prevalent in migrants than in host populations. Realisation of a person-centred approach in migrant populations requires knowledge of ethnic and cultural health differences and skills to communicate across linguistic and cultural differences. Cultural mediators can support migrants to effectively navigate through a health care system, if one assures that the mediator’s gender and age fits with the patient’s expectations. Often migrants describe major depression or other mental health problems in terms of physical symptoms.
