TED2018
Essam Daod: How we can bring mental health support to refugees
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The global refugee crisis is a mental health catastrophe, leaving millions in need of psychological support to overcome the traumas of dislocation and conflict. To undo the damage, child psychiatrist and TED Fellow Essam Daod has been working in camps, rescue boats and the shorelines of Greece and the Mediterranean Sea to help refugees (a quarter of which are children) reframe their experiences through short, powerful psychological interventions. "We can all do something to prevent this mental health catastrophe," Daod says. "We need to acknowledge that first aid is not just needed for the body, but it has also to include the mind, the soul."
Essam Daod - Mental health specialist
Essam Doad provides first response mental health interventions to refugees and displaced populations. Full bio
Essam Doad provides first response mental health interventions to refugees and displaced populations. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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For the last two and a half years,
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I'm one of the few, if not the only,
child psychiatrist
child psychiatrist
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operating in refugee camps,
shorelines and rescue boats
shorelines and rescue boats
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in Greece and the Mediterranean Sea.
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And I can say, with great confidence,
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that we are witnessing
a mental-health catastrophe
a mental-health catastrophe
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that will affect most of us,
and it will change our world.
and it will change our world.
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I live in Haifa, but nowadays,
I spend most of my time abroad.
I spend most of my time abroad.
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During my time
on the Greek island of Lesbos
on the Greek island of Lesbos
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and on the rescue boats
in the Mediterranean,
in the Mediterranean,
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thousands of refugee boats
arrived to the shoreline,
arrived to the shoreline,
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crowded with more
than 1.5 million refugees.
than 1.5 million refugees.
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One-fourth of them are children,
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fleeing war and hardship.
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Each boat carries
different sufferings and traumas
different sufferings and traumas
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from Syria, Iraq, Afganistan
and different countries in Africa.
and different countries in Africa.
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In the last three years alone,
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more than 12,000 refugees
lost their lives.
lost their lives.
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And hundreds of thousands
lost their souls and their mental health
lost their souls and their mental health
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due to this cruel
and traumatic experience.
and traumatic experience.
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I want to tell you about Omar,
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a five-year-old Syrian refugee boy
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who arrived to the shore on Lesbos
on a crowded rubber boat.
on a crowded rubber boat.
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Crying, frightened, unable to understand
what's happening to him,
what's happening to him,
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he was right on the verge
of developing a new trauma.
of developing a new trauma.
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I knew right away
that this was a golden hour,
that this was a golden hour,
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a short period of time
in which I could change his story,
in which I could change his story,
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I could change the story
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that he would tell himself
for the rest of his life.
for the rest of his life.
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I could reframe his memories.
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I quickly held out my hands
and said to his shaking mother in Arabic,
and said to his shaking mother in Arabic,
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(Arabic) "Ateeni elwalad o khudi nafas."
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"Give me the boy,
and take a breath."
and take a breath."
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His mother gave him to me.
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Omar looked at me with scared,
tearful eyes and said,
tearful eyes and said,
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(Arabic) "Ammo (uncle in Arabic),
shu hada?"
shu hada?"
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"What is this?"
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as he pointed out to the police
helicopter hovering above us.
helicopter hovering above us.
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"It's a helicopter!
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It's here to photograph you
with big cameras,
with big cameras,
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because only the great
and the powerful heroes,
and the powerful heroes,
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like you, Omar, can cross the sea."
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Omar looked at me,
stopped crying and asked me,
stopped crying and asked me,
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(Arabic) "Ana batal?"
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"I'm a hero?"
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I talked to Omar for 15 minutes.
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And I gave his parents
some guidance to follow.
some guidance to follow.
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This short psychological intervention
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decreases the prevalence
of post-traumatic stress disorder
of post-traumatic stress disorder
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and other mental health
issues in the future,
issues in the future,
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preparing Omar to get an education,
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join the workforce,
raise a family and beyond.
raise a family and beyond.
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How?
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By stimulating the good memories
that will be stored in the amygdala,
that will be stored in the amygdala,
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the emotional storage of the human brain.
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These memories
will fight the traumatic ones,
will fight the traumatic ones,
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if they are reactivated in the future.
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To Omar, the smell of the sea
will not just remind him
will not just remind him
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of his traumatic journey from Syria.
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Because to Omar, this story
is now a story of bravery.
is now a story of bravery.
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This is the power of the golden hour,
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which can reframe the trauma
and establish a new narrative.
and establish a new narrative.
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But Omar is only one
out of more than 350,000 children
out of more than 350,000 children
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without the proper mental health support
in this crisis alone.
in this crisis alone.
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Three hundred and fifty
thousand children and me.
thousand children and me.
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We need mental health professionals
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to join rescue teams
during times of active crisis.
during times of active crisis.
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This is why my wife and I and friends
co-founded "Humanity Crew."
co-founded "Humanity Crew."
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One of the few aid
organizations in the world
organizations in the world
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that specializes in providing
psychosocial aid
psychosocial aid
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and first-response
mental health interventions
mental health interventions
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to refugees and displaced populations.
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To provide them
with a suitable intervention,
with a suitable intervention,
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we create the four-step approach,
a psychosocial work plan
a psychosocial work plan
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that follows the refugees
on each step of their journey.
on each step of their journey.
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Starting inside the sea,
on the rescue boats,
on the rescue boats,
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as mental health lifeguards.
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Later in the camps, hospitals
and through our online clinic
and through our online clinic
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that breaks down borders
and overcomes languages.
and overcomes languages.
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And ending in the asylum countries,
helping them integrate.
helping them integrate.
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Since our first mission in 2015,
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"Humanity Crew" had 194 delegations
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of qualified, trained
volunteers and therapists.
volunteers and therapists.
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We have provided 26,000 hours
of mental health support
of mental health support
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to over 10,000 refugees.
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We can all do something
to prevent this mental health catastrophe.
to prevent this mental health catastrophe.
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We need to acknowledge that first aid
is not just needed for the body,
is not just needed for the body,
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but it has also to include
the mind, the soul.
the mind, the soul.
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The impact on the soul is hardly visible,
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but the damage can be there for life.
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Let's not forget that what
distinguishes us humans from machines
distinguishes us humans from machines
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is the beautiful
and the delicate soul within us.
and the delicate soul within us.
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Let's try harder to save more Omars.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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(Cheers)
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Essam Daod - Mental health specialistEssam Doad provides first response mental health interventions to refugees and displaced populations.
Why you should listen
In 2015, child psychiatrist Essam Daod was a volunteer doctor on the Greek island of Lesbos, where he witnessed the unspeakable suffering and trauma of thousands of refugees arriving from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. “I left the island wondering how these people can handle all this loss and trauma without any kind of psychosocial support,” he remembers. So, Daod founded the humanitarian aid agency Humanity Crew in 2015 with his wife Maria Jammal to provide such support. With an operating base in Greece, Humanity Crew recruits, trains and deploys mental health professionals and qualified volunteers to deliver psychosocial services to refugees and displaced populations in an effort to improve refugee well-being and prevent further psychological trauma. Leading research in the field of refugee mental health, Humanity Crew ultimately hopes to raise the profile of mental health care as a fundamental aspect of emergency humanitarian crisis response.
Essam Daod | Speaker | TED.com