The question then is: Why does catatonia arise only in refugee children in Sweden? Aviv, Rachel. Theres people from these geographic areas, Haptas explains. [10] Swedens Mystery Illness: Resignation Syndrome, Doctors of the World, last modified February 20, 2018, https://doctorsoftheworld.org/blog/swedens-mystery-illness-resignation-syndrome/. In that it is not a compelling contributing factor, this theory does not go far enough to explain why the condition exists only in Sweden. [4], Acknowledging its social importance and relevance, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare recognized the novel diagnostic entity resignation syndrome in 2014. Last modified May 26, 2019. That became our title from the very early on days.. In this particular case, we sat down with some poetry booksYou are looking for topics that have to do with poems about people suffering, poems about people seeking comfort. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. "The most plausible explanation is that there are some sort of socio-cultural factors that are necessary in order for this condition to develop. Charcot first suggested that hysteria had organic causes. By all accounts, these children are genuinely ill. But maybe Sallin, just by proposing psychological causes of the symptoms, has already contributed to reducing the number of cases in the future. We spend a lot of time on our titles. 12 (2005): 347, doi:10.1080/08035250510036778. Sweden: By Turns Welcoming and Restrictive in Its Immigration Policy. Migrationpolicy.org. "Her blood pressure is quite normal," says Dr Elisabeth Hultcrantz, a volunteer with Doctors of the World. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. This fear, according to Bodegrd, is a perpetuating retraumatization [that] possibly explains the endemic distribution of Resignation Syndrome. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. "They promised they will kill us. There has been much discussion about the so-called apathetic children in families seeking asylum in Sweden. While the underlying theories of why the condition exists solely in Sweden will be discussed later in the paper, it is critical to highlight that before their affliction, many of these children have been living in Sweden for more than a couple of months. Nunn, Kenneth P., Bryan Lask, Isabel Owen, and Gran Bodegrd. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Inpportunly, Dasha heard the story of her mothers rape when the asylum-seeking family had an interview with the Swedish Immigration Center. According to reports, the mystery illness was first seen in Sweden in the 1990s - but grew rapidly by the mid-2000s. He doubts Sophie will recover in 13 months. Here is the link to the Connecticut movie showings: https://www.courant.com/ctnow/movies/hc-ctnow-movie-oscar-shorts-hartford-manchester-danbury-20200127-qtjbqegysbgs5o7mft345akx4q-story.html, Your email address will not be published. Read more: Eventually they recover. In a presentation in London in 2017, Hultcrantz explained that the children she'd treated with resignation syndrome had all witnessed trauma to family members. FactCheck Q&A: Has the number of asylum seeker children in detention declined? Nonetheless, unique to this illness is the fact that all reported case has been within the national boundaries of Sweden. The sever culmination of resignation syndrome is when sufferers enter into a comatose state in order to escape their intolerable reality. https://www.crb.uu.se/personal/karl-sallin/ severe major depressive disorder with psychotic symptoms or catatonia, or conversion/dissociation disorder. Culture-Bound? He initially adjusted well after resettlement in Sweden, but then, like Daria, he too fell into a catatonic state and now must be nourished through a feeding tube threaded down his nose. Called Resignation Syndrome, it affects only the children of asylum-seekers, who withdraw completely, ceasing to walk or talk, or open their eyes. Life Overtakes Me is now streaming on Netflix, making it available to audiences around the world, including Sweden where it could potentially impact the politics that swirl around refugee matters. Sallin compares with an outbreak of hysteria during the latter part of the 1800s, in connection with Jean-Martin Charcots famous demonstrations of hysterical patients, and where colorful symptom descriptions circulated in the press. In the worst cases, children reject any food or drink and have to be fed by feeding tube;[1] the condition can persist for years. https://www.crb.uu.se/personal/karl-sallin/, Uppgivenhetssyndrom hos flyktingbarn en ny hypotes | ETIKBLOGGEN, Only in Sweden - Bioethics Research Library, The New Yorker features resignation syndrome | Bioethics Research Library, Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics (CRB), Taking care of the legacy: curating responsible research and innovation practice. In more precise words, the hypothesis suggests that Resignation Syndrome could have been avoided if parents or other family members had provided sufficient mental health treatment for their children who had suffered from past trauma. Later, Sveriges Television, Sweden's national public television broadcaster, was severely critiqued by investigative journalist Janne Josefsson for failing to uncover the truth. So the idea of referencing a fairytale and referencing Snow White really worked. Subsequently, there is also a manifesting fear of being deported back to the childs place of previously experienced trauma. They arrived in December 2015 and live in accommodation allocated to refugees in a small town in central Sweden. In Nauru currently, some children may have been there for five years with little or no hope of finding a place of safe resettlement. But Sophie's eyes are closed. [15] In March 2020, a report citing the Swedish Agency for Medical and Social Evaluation, SBU, said "There are no scientific studies that answer how to diagnose abandonment syndrome, nor what treatment works".[16]. Medical experts noted there are no adequate medical or mental health facilities on Nauru to treat this condition. Here Sallin hits on the main obstacle to understanding Resignation Syndrome - the lack of research into it. They proceed to exhibit deterioration in their motor skills as they slowly lose the ability to speak, eat, and drink all together. Furthermore, while mental health treatment may help the child move past their personally experienced trauma, the trauma of their parents may still be projected onto them. They literally withdraw from the world as if theyre dead, Samuelson tells Deadline. Soon afterwards, the family was informed they could not stay in Sweden. "In order for Sophie to wake up, the doctor says she and her family should feel safe.". While many hypotheses have been presented, there is no definitive answer to why Resignation Syndrome does not exist outside of Sweden. FactCheck Q&A: Has the number of asylum seeker children in detention declined? Parents require treatment for their own mental health issues and support in providing care for their child. Your email address will not be published. More than 400 cases were reported in the two years from 2003-2005. He initially adjusted well after resettlement in They have day clothes and night clothes, and experienced staff like Clara Ogren, help them colour or draw by holding their hands to grip a pencil. So why is the syndrome common only in Sweden? He stopped talking, eating, and walking; soon after that he became diagnosed with Resignation Syndrome. In these situations, children appear to give up or resign themselves to an overwhelming situation and cope with this by a profound disengagement or withdrawal. In the last fifteen years, hundreds of traumatized refugee children living in Sweden, but originating primarily from Slavic countries like Russia, have become afflicted. Accordingly, these restrictive laws foster a feeling of uncertainty amongst previously traumatized refugee children as their expectations of staying in Sweden are shattered. In the case of Daria, a seven-year-old girl in the film, her father went on the run after government agents in an unspecified country (the filmmakers leave out such details to protect their subjects anonymity) threatened him over his internet company. So some of these families have been in Sweden a year, a year and a half. When they recover, they can often recall events that occurred while they were ill. So somehow - and we do not know the mechanism for this, and why it should happen in Sweden - the kind of symptoms displayed by the children are culturally sanctioned: this is a way the children are allowed to express their trauma. One of these children was Karen, a twelve-year-old refugee from Eastern Europe and the oldest of three siblings. Resignation syndrome is a rare psychiatric condition that presents as a progressive social withdrawal and reluctance to engage in usual activities such as school and play. "Maybe the new baby when it comes will help," says Sophie's father. In Sweden it may make a real concrete difference, as the film gets out, to how the government handles immigration policyparticularly because, like a lot of countries, Sweden is facing a resurgence of the right wing and the growth of anti-immigration sentiment.. Karen, meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy seen in Life Overtakes Me, was nearly killed in an ambush that targeted his father. Resignation Syndrome: Catatonia? Sophie heard everything in that meeting with the Migration Board, and it was at this point that she stopped speaking and eating. In Australia, similar cases have been seen in children exposed to the distress of immigration centres. The trauma of the migrant journey is another unavoidable stress factor for refugee children. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Ethical challenges when children with cancer are recruited for research, Science, science communication and language, Att frvalta arvet frn ansvarsfull forskning och innovation i Human Brain Project - Etikbloggen, Frndrar sjukdomens svrighet den moraliska motivationen att agera? Of that number, UNICEF estimates that around 46% are children. Theres Uighurs, theres Roma, Yazidis. Kristine Samuelson & John Haptas Recount the Horror of Resignation Syndrome for Life Overtakes Me by Joey Moser January 31, 2020 in Documentary, ", and beat the wall with her feet. Accordingly, there must be another hypothesis that explains why Resignation Syndrome does not transcend past Swedish boundaries. They have seen no change in their daughter in 20 months. Previous trauma before ones migration as well as the trauma of leaving your home and immigrating to a new country can place an immense amount of stress onto a child. After the family was granted residency the boy recovered. The introduced diagnosis, resignation syndrome, is therefore inappropriate. Depression in parents further isolates vulnerable children. For Sophie's parents, that is hard to believe. Whats more, beyond the trauma experienced back home, these refugee children also face the trauma of the journey [and] the trauma of detention at some point, the bucket is full. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. And they just collapse. Their children are going to school. Karen had found security in Sweden, making friends and moving on from the trauma he experienced back in Ukraine. Another potential driving force of Resignation Syndrome is the practice of projective identification. But offering treatment also causes new cases. It estimates that seven had RS, and three had psychosis. "What happens afterwards? To Dasha, this profound change in the reality of their situation was accepted as a truth only when her mother, sensing greater security in her life, was able to move past her trauma and overcome her hopelessness. Resignation syndrome (RS) designates a long-standing disorder predominately affecting psychologically traumatized children and adolescents in the It would mean a lot to families in our film, for families in general in that situation and hopefully to refugees facing trauma in other places to have the issue foregrounded, Haptas states. "We have an expectation that they want to live, and all their abilities are still there, but they just forgot or lost the sense of using them. Therefore, if a child is faced with the uncertainty of being deported back to the place of their suppressed trauma, then that trauma has the possibility of resurfacing. Thus, these refugee children may not have directly experienced this trauma, but when their parents project their trauma onto them, they subsequently identify with this sense of hopelessness, slowly recognizing the trauma as their own. Could this kind of treatment help Sophie? Visit our Swedish-language blog, Etikbloggen, where we write about national issues. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation US, Inc. Questions are now being asked about the possible development of an increase in cases on Nauru and how best to respond to this. [1][6], Currently, diagnostic criteria are undetermined, pathogenesis is uncertain, and effective treatment is lacking.[1]. All conversations about the migration process are banned in front of the child. "They took me away and then I don't remember anything," he says. Yet, there have been no reported cases outside of Sweden despite other refugee children also facing enormous amounts of stress. Sweden Toughens Rules for Refugees Seeking Asylum. The New York 2.Times Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Her mother had been raped in the woods of Siberia but hadnt told her children. As a result of these recent restrictive immigration laws passed in Sweden, it is plausible to argue that the recent cultural change in Swedish society serves as both a contributing factor of Resignation Syndrome as well as a sufficient explanation for why the illness exists only in Sweden. The mystery remains. Many children with the condition were experiencing trauma, including environmental stress and psychiatric disorders in parents and carers. Both point out the withdrawal and lack of response. Pervasive refusal syndrome (also called pervasive arousal-withdrawal syndrome) has been conceptualised in a variety of ways, including a form of post-traumatic stress disorder, learned helplessness, lethal mothering, loss of the internal parent, apathy or the giving-up syndrome, depressive devitalisation, primitive freeze, severe loss of activities of daily living and manipulative illness, such as parents drugging children for increased chance of being granted asylum. In the middle of this debate are children who know nothing of politics, but know they are abandoned without a future. Thus, while this may be one of several causes of Resignation Syndrome, it does not explain the regional distribution of the illness. The real issue hasn't been dealt with - it's limbo," says Dagson. Some experts think that children with resignation syndrome in Sweden and Australia are using the cultural cues around them to express their psychological distress, in the only way they know how. When that happens, to where or what can the child turn?". Resignation Syndrome is most prevalent in Sweden, but has been witnessed elsewhere. The condition has come to be known as Resignation Syndrome. Even if they did have the economic capital, these refugee families are frequently in life-threatening circumstances; therefore, they do not have time to provide their child with this treatment. Dr Olssen rolled up Nolas dress, exposing her bare stomach and revealing that she was wearing a nappy under her tights. Cerotti, Rachael. [8] Only after tests were run, was it shown that there was neither outside manipulation nor were the kids faking the illness, these children were seriously sick. Until a few years ago, having a child with resignation syndrome automatically qualified a family for asylum, at which point the child often recovered. We see apathetic refugee children as symbols of our own moral failure to treat them and their families This work takes a lot of energy because we have to live for the children until they start to live on their own.". [1]Swedens Mystery Illness: Resignation Syndrome, Doctors of the World, last modified February 20, 2018, https://doctorsoftheworld.org/blog/swedens-mystery-illness-resignation-syndrome.