There are hundreds of millions of international migrants and forcibly displaced people in our world. Among the regions most affected, the Eastern Mediterranean continues to be a major migratory pathway to Europe. Armed conflicts in the Middle East, Asia and Africa and European Union policy, have rendered Greece the primary entry point for migrants in Europe and, according to the most recent reports from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, Greece hosts some 170,000 refugees and asylum seekers coming mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Of them, 37% are children, many unaccompanied.

Forced migration is a complex situation involving challenges before departure, the violent loss of homeland and the adjustment to culturally new environments. These factors create multifaceted vulnerability and increase the risk of mental health and psychosocial problems. Moreover, refugees experience higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to the populations of their host countries, which is compounded by their lack of access to healthcare and further stresses the mental health services of host countries. This is particularly true for countries like Greece, which serve as entry points for migrants and have disproportionately large refugee populations.

To address these complex issues, the Healing Roots project in Greece will develop a Mental Health Evidence Roadmap, an online, open-access, user-friendly, multi-component tool designed to organize and synthesize existing research on refugee mental health interventions. This innovative approach will enable stakeholders to identify effective strategies and address evidence gaps to guide the implementation of targeted refugee mental health services.

In the broader context, the link between refugee mental health and forced migration is growing. There is evidence supporting the effectiveness of mental health and psychosocial support interventions in diverse refugee populations; however, a concise summary of evidence-based interventions is lacking. Standardization of mental health interventions and data on migrant mental health across countries and over time are scarce. Without appropriate data and implementation of evidence-based policies, achieving mental health development goals will be unmanageable for migrant communities around the world.

The project will also include a Refugee Mental Health Roadmap, based on the Evidence Map, that leverages established mental health methodologies endorsed by the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organizations (WHO), and other agencies, as well as input from refugee experiences. The Roadmap will guide the design and implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions specific to refugee communities. Both tools will be piloted in partnership with key stakeholders, including select migrants in resettlement centers in Greece. The results will be shared with the international community with the aim of improving mental health outcomes of forcibly displaced communities in Greece and the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East and North Africa more broadly.

In partnership with:

• University of Ioannina
• Hellenic Region of Epirus
• Network for Children’s Rights
• Society of Psychosocial Research and Intervention
• Columbia Global Center, Athens