Refugees and populations exposed to mass conflict.

This chapter will consider the mental health needs of refugees and other populations forcibly displaced because of exposure to mass conflict. Migration has been a hallmark of humanity over millennia, the reasons leading individuals or groups to move being numerous and often multi-faceted. Migration can be forced or by choice or a combination of these factors: for example, poverty or natural disasters might lead a person or group to leave their home out of choice, but elements of compulsion can play a role, such as severe food insecurity. This chapter will consider those obliged to leave their homelands for reasons of persecution and exposure to mass conflict, populations broadly referred to as refugees. The terms utilised to describe these populations are summarised in Table 1, highlighting the different groups to consider; however, for the purposes of this chapter, refugees will be used to describe this population, unless reference is made to specifically defined groups.