Refugee Mental Health: A New Indicator For States to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, there has been an upsurge in the number of refugees worldwide. An estimated 65 million refugees are registered under The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The most vulnerable individuals in the world are refugees. Being the most vulnerable, how are States providing care to these individuals, specifically their mental health? Mental health is something that is often overlooked or lacking in services that are provided to refugees. According to research, refugees may experience a variety of stressors that impact their mental health and well-being both before and during their migration journeys and during their resettlement and integration. What are some common mental health challenges faced by refugees? The research will show that common mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are more prevalent in refugees who have experienced hardship than in host populations. Many refugees face difficulties receiving mental health services or lack access to them in their host countries. They experience disruptions in the continuity of care as well. Is there a framework States can follow to combat this crisis? The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set a framework for states to eradicate some of the world's toughest challenges (poverty, hunger, health) and offer a framework for addressing mental health from various angles. The goal of this paper will be to show that the mental health of refugees is an important indicator of whether or not states are committed to achieving the SDGs and suggest making it an official tracked and monitored indicator. This paper will examine the history of sustainable development up to the creation of the SDGs and explore the grounds for mental health within the SDGs as seen in some goals like Number 3: Good Health and Well-Being, Number 10: Reduced Inequalities and Number 17:Partnerships For The Goals. Next, the challenges refugees face concerning mental health will be highlighted, specifically mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during pre and post-migration. As well as the lack of services available and limiting policies that specifically encourage and promote mental health care. Finally, analyzing data related to refugee mental health and other global health policies from official international organizations like the UNHCR and the WHO will show that data gaps and lack of disaggregated data highlight the need for improvement in statistical capacity and new approaches to monitoring SDG achievement and provide grounds to introduce the creation of a new indicator under the Sustainable Development Goals. Government support for mental health initiatives and development continues to fall short. Failure to collaborate to address the refugee mental health problem results in enormous losses in human potential and unnecessary suffering.