The explanation sounds intuitively reasonable, considering these childrens experiences. The symptoms of Resignation Syndrome are similar to those suffering from Catatonia, a behavioral syndrome that involves a lack of proper movement and speech. Accordingly, there should be evidence of other refugee children, who are living outside of Sweden, that suffer from 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. Children with resignation syndrome assessed and cared for by CAMHS had similar need of outpatient care as other children of the same origin who had been treated Life Overtakes Me Doc Reveals Strange Medical Helping children with resignation syndrome, she says, "can take up to 12 months. Recovery ensues within months to years and is claimed to be dependent on the restoration of hope to the family. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. He became paranoid, frequently thinking there was someone outside trying to shoot them. Common features are the ongoing nature of the trauma and the childs feelings of hopelessness and helplessness in the face of inescapable stress. Accordingly, these refugee children who are assimilating into Swedish society and know the language well, have both their expectations and hopes of securely staying in the country, shattered. [15] Gran Bodegrd, Pervasive loss of function in asylum-seeking children in Sweden, Acta Paediatrica 94, no. Children may become isolated and appear depressed and irritable. Feeding tubes help sustain the life of the child, but it does not serve as a medical treatment. It is only when they receive the notice that their request for asylum has been denied or they receive a warning of imminent deportation do they begin to display symptoms of Resignation Syndrome. Karen, meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy seen in Life Overtakes Me, was nearly killed in an ambush that targeted his father. Resignation Syndrome in Children "Typically a depressive onset is followed by gradual withdrawal progressing via stupor into a state that prompts tube feeding and is characterized by failure to respond even to painful stimuli," a study of the phenomenon in Frontiers In Behavioral Neuroscience found in 2016. The witnesses insisted that the girl had been a well-functioning, normal child who was coached into faking her illness when doctors and officials were present. Is anyone researching this phenomenon? Whilst the exact causes of Resignation Syndrome remain an enigma, it is generally thought to be brought on by a severe lack of hope and intense stress, fuelled by extremely distressing asylum processes, previous traumatic events, and social exclusion. But Sophie's eyes are closed. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Culture-Bound? The uncertainty and horror of these traumas leave a scarring impact on such young children. Another potential driving force of Resignation Syndrome is the practice of projective identification. WebHave you heard of Resignation Syndrome? Sophie's family have the latter, and it expires in March next year. 12 (2005): 345, doi:10.1080/08035250510036778. Subsequently, in late 2016, a restrictive family reunification and asylum law came into force. Depression in parents further isolates vulnerable children. Until a few years ago, having a child with resignation syndrome automatically qualified a family for asylum, at which point the child often recovered. Write an article and join a growing community of more than 163,400 academics and researchers from 4,609 institutions. On arrival, they were held for hours by Swedish police. This could be dangerous, because if there were a problem with her feeding tube, Sophie could choke. Last modified September 11, 2017. Free resources to assist you with your university studies! The mystery remains. [1] An asserted questioning attitude, in particular within the health care system, it has been claimed, may constitute a perpetuating retraumatization possibly explaining the endemic distribution. Would you like to get in touch with us but not through a comment on the blog? The question then is: Why does catatonia arise only in refugee children in Sweden? So how could a child who loved to dance become so deeply inert? [20] Senay Boztas, These Are the Toughest Places for Asylum Seekers to Enter Europe, Telegraph.co.uk, last modified February 5, 2016, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/12140900/These-are-the-toughest-places-for-asylum-seekers-to-enter-Europe.html. Accordingly, these restrictive laws foster a feeling of uncertainty amongst previously traumatized refugee children as their expectations of staying in Sweden are shattered. There was something so insane about what we were seeing. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Some are traumatised by experiences in their countries of origin and the process of fleeing. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! 2023 BBC. "Then the child understands - my mother can't take care of me," Carlshamre explains. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? Skodo, Admir. It is also important to reiterate that there is incredible stress imbued within the immigration process as well. As periods of time spent in these environments increase, mental health deteriorates. "We were dragged out. A young Russian girl named Dasha gradually became afflicted with Resignation Syndrome after her family fled to Sweden. Some become comatose and unresponsive.". s Mysterious Sleeping Sickness: Psychosomatic or In this stage patients are seemingly unconscious and tube feeding is life-sustaining. The In the past two decades, more than one thousand children have taken anxiety and dread deep into their bodies, falling into what has been named uppgivenhetssyndrom, a giving-up we translate as resignation syndrome.. [19] Dan Bilefsky, Sweden Toughens Rules for Refugees Seeking Asylum, The New York Times Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, last modified June 21, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/22/world/europe/sweden-immigrant-restrictions.html. Their mental health problems are compounded by a lack of support and mental health services and limited access to family support. Aviv, Rachel. Supported by the Human Brain Project, Neuroethics and Philosophy. They became catatonic, refusing to eat, talk or move, and often had to be fed via feeding tube and their condition could persist for years. An ENT surgeon before she retired, Hultcrantz is worried because Sophie does not ever open her mouth. The thing we found out is that if you talk to eight experts, you get 10 opinions, notes filmmaker John Haptas. It is up to the parents to transmit this sense of hope as the afflicted children are dependent upon rebuilding security in their lives. If they're not sure about that, they cannot give Sophie the sense that everything is OK.". However, the tendency seems to be to point out Swedens crumbling self-image as the relevant cultural context for the disease. (2013). Such traumas may include rape of a family member, physical abuse, threats to the familys livelihood, or the witnessing of other forms of violence. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation US, Inc. It is important to highlight that these are simply theoretical hypotheses, as there is not enough research on Resignation Syndrome to garner a definitive answer. They do not simulate total lack of willpower; like inability to eat, speak and move. The others recovered before their asylum status was assured. He initially adjusted well after resettlement in The problem is again: traumatized refugee families exist all around the world. Traumatic Withdrawal Syndrome (Resignation Syndrome), collection of examples from Australia in 2018, including reports from diverse patient populations in detention centers. And they just collapse. 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. That question brings us to the second part of the hypothesis, which has some similarities with the theory that the mother affects the child psychologically to exhibit symptoms: really have them, not only simulate them! 3 (2013): xx, doi:10.1007/s00787-013-0433-7. The diagnosis itself has been controversial; the BBC reported in 2017 that that the Swedish children had been accused of "faking it," and that their parents were suspected poisoning them, though "none of these stories were proven," the BBC clarifies. In 1958, the The best way, according to Swedish medical practitioners to treat Resignation Syndrome is to promote and maintain a secure and hopeful environment, encouraging a sense of coherence.[9] This security may come from granting asylum or permanent residency to these refugee families, thereby, eliminating the fear and uncertainty of being deported back to the place of previously experienced trauma. They are like Snow White. 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. [10] She goes on to describes the afflicted childs recovery as more sound, more life in the house the siblings are more joyful the parents sit around the child and they touch the child and they hug the child. There are many factors contributing to trauma for child asylum seekers and refugees. The reference to Snow White is apt, because there is a fairytale-like quality to the documentary, evoking ancient tales of children menaced by dark, mysterious forces. Here an article quoting Sallin about the copycat syndrome: https://www.bioedge.org/mobile/view/only-in-sweden/11799. [2], The phenomenon has been called into question, with two children reporting that they were forced by their parents to act apathetic in order to increase chances of being granted residence permits. 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. Inpportunly, Dasha heard the story of her mothers rape when the asylum-seeking family had an interview with the Swedish Immigration Center. To further this hypothesis, the surprising denial of asylum due to stricter immigration laws is coupled with the refugee childs manifesting fear of returning to his or her place of trauma. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. [2] Recovery ensues within months to years and is claimed to be dependent on the restoration of hope to the family. But evidence from the town of Skara in the south of Sweden suggests that there is a way of curing children with Resignation Syndrome even if the family doesn't receive permanent residence. Could it be that spreading awareness of this phenomenon is actually causing more cases and doing more harm than good? Some of the families belong to ethnic minority groups victimized in their countries of origin. The law introduced new restrictions on asylum seekers, including rules that would limit the number of people granted permanent residency and make it more difficult for parents to reunite with their children.[19] This law may be correlated to the increase in the number of Resignation Syndrome cases starting in 2017. This explanation may also seem reasonable, especially considering another peculiarity of the syndrome: it does not affect unaccompanied refugee children, only children who arrive with their families. Could this kind of treatment help Sophie? [18] Admir Skodo, Sweden: By Turns Welcoming and Restrictive in Its Immigration Policy, Migrationpolicy.org, last modified May 26, 2019, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/sweden-turns-welcoming-and-restrictive-its-immigration-policy. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve. However, as a consequence of this restrictive asylum law, their chances of receiving asylum were greatly diminished. Theres serious concern about the use of Nauru as a processing centre and the adequacy of health services. According to reports, the mystery illness was first seen in Sweden in the 1990s - but grew rapidly by the mid-2000s. Cine-ONU highlights resignation syndrome to mark 5.Catatonia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment. WebMD. Kristine Samuelson & John Haptas Recount the Horror Traumatic Withdrawal Syndrome and Resignation Syndrome And helping the child's family is a key element of the treatment: "Resolution of the family's asylum issues and residence is a component.". Theyre in limbo, Samuelson notes. Swedish doctor, Gran Bodegrd describes the children as passive, immobile, withdrawn, mute, incontinent, and not reacting to physical stimuli or pain.[6]. And we goof around a lot and dance and listen to music. To be more specific, before their immediate showing of symptoms, many of these adolescents had begun their assimilation into the Swedish culture and had sufficient fluency in the language. Only a tiny number have been unaccompanied migrants, none have been African, and very few have been Asian. Nonetheless, unique to this illness is the fact that all reported case has been within the national boundaries of Sweden. In September 2015 their car was stopped by men in police uniform. [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. And there have also been cases of siblings where first one develops it and then the other. The Netflix documentary Life Overtakes Me, directed by the husband-and-wife filmmaking team of Haptas and Kristine Samuelson, explores this baffling scenario. 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. Identifying the cause has proven elusive. Cerotti, Rachael. Sallin, K., Lagercrantz, H., Evers, K., Engstrm, I., Hjern, A., Petrovic, P., Resignation Syndrome: Catatonia? Even if they are tube-fed, we put them in the kitchen so they smell food," she says. Until recently, families with a sick child were allowed to stay. The children who are most vulnerable are those who have witnessed extreme violence - often against their parents - or whose families have fled a deeply insecure environment. The Swedish Affliction: Resignation Syndrome What is resignation syndrome and why is it affecting (Perhaps I should point out that Sallin emphasizes that psychological causes are not to be understood in terms of a mind/body dualism.). 12 (2005): 347, doi:10.1080/08035250510036778. When that happens, to where or what can the child turn?". While stress is a contributing factor for why refugee children suffer from Resignation Syndrome, it does explain the regional distribution of the condition. [9] In Sweden, hundreds of migrant children, facing the possibility of deportation, have been diagnosed since the 1990s. Is it possible that those cases of resignation syndrome occurred after knowledge of the film Life Overtakes Me and the condition of resignation syndrome were learned by those affected refugee families in CT? Its one of 10 short docs shortlisted for Academy Awards consideration. He stopped talking, eating, and walking; soon after that he became diagnosed with Resignation Syndrome. [13] Child Trauma on Nauru The Facts, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, last modified November 16, 2018, https://www.asrc.org.au/2018/08/28/child-trauma-on-nauru-the-facts/. Resignation Syndrome was first reported in Sweden in the late 1990s. Medical experts noted there are no adequate medical or mental health facilities on Nauru to treat this condition. When her father picks her up from her wheelchair, nine-year-old Sophie is lifeless. This fear, according to Bodegrd, is a perpetuating retraumatization [that] possibly explains the endemic distribution of Resignation Syndrome. Resignation syndrome (also called traumatic withdrawal syndrome or traumatic refusal or abandonment syndrome; Swedish: uppgivenhetssyndrom) is a catatonic condition that induces a state of reduced consciousness, first described in Sweden in the 1990s. Eventually they recover. As the condition progresses, the child may stop talking and isolate themselves in bed, and may stop eating and drinking. 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. [12] This witnessing of violence alongside various other threats made against the family compelled them to flee and seek refuge in Sweden. Terms previously used for this condition include depressive devitalisation and pervasive arousal-withdrawal syndrome. Culture-Bound?. Weve seen articles now where they specifically call what theyre seeing in Lesbos [in Greek refugee camps], in some cases, Resignation Syndrome.. But why do we have so many cases in Sweden and not in other countries? Put simply, they have resigned themselves to the point of lifelessness. The moral imperative is to rethink current policy, and to act urgently to protect children and save lives. Read about our approach to external linking. Now to Sallins hypothesis in the article. The largest studied group in Sweden found seriously physically ill, withdrawn children requiring hospitalisation and high level care. WebAmid that uncertainty, Karen fell ill again. No plagiarism, guaranteed! [11] However, this renewed sense of security does not guarantee recovery, and if the child does recover, it takes a long time to feel secure as nightmares and stress continue to linger. We spend a lot of time on our titles. The catatonia hypothesis can be tested, Sallin suggests, by trying treatments with known responses in catatonic patients, and by performing PET scans of the brain. Various names have been used to describe this condition since it was originally described in children showing a retreat from external reality. The child was unresponsive, dehydrated and at risk of death from the physical complications of this extreme state. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. The intensive and specialist treatment needed cannot be provided in Nauru. Either their families request for asylum is denied, they are not granted permanent residency, or they receive a notice of imminent deportation. The Trauma of Facing Deportation. The New Yorker. Study for free with our range of university lectures! Resignation syndrome is a strange disorder thats been occurring in Sweden for decades in the child and adolescent refugee population. Accordingly, this paper will focus on a rather peculiar condition known as Resignation Syndrome in which refugee children slowly fall into an unconscious coma-like state as the conscious part of their brain shuts down. This fear of being deported back to the childs place of trauma frequently manifests itself into the symptoms of the syndrome. She tells Bustle that it develops "as a response to situations of extreme stress and trauma where children feel powerless and essentially withdraw into a state like hibernation in severe cases. They just fall away from the world. Of the 35 children Calshamre has met over the years, one of them got permission to stay in Sweden while still at Solsidan. Sophie and her family are asylum seekers from the former USSR. So I have to say that right now, we feel like theres pixie dust on us and were pretty excited.. (2019; Sweden: Netflix, 2019), Film. It documents what is known about the syndrome and suggests a new hypothesis. Questions are now being asked about the possible development of an increase in cases on Nauru and how best to respond to this. Resignation syndrome is a rare psychiatric condition that presents as a progressive social withdrawal and reluctance to engage in usual activities such as school Alternatively, one could say that catatonia is caused in the meeting between certain cultures and Swedish conditions, since it is more common in children from certain parts of the world. "When I explain to the parents what has happened, I tell them the world has been so terrible that Sophie has gone into herself and disconnected the conscious part of her brain," says Hultcrantz. According to witnesses cited by the Swedish magazine Filter, one of the children profiled in the film was pressured by her parents to simulate resignation syndrome for the express purpose of improving the family's prospects for permanent residence status in Sweden. Sophie was in the car so she witnessed me and her mother being roughly beaten," remembers Sophie's father. Young people reportedly develop depressive symptoms, become socially withdrawn, and become motionless and speechless as a reaction to stress and hopelessness. [7] In this state, the afflicted childrens parents are forced to feed them through feeding tubes and place their children in diapers as they are unable to walk. Nunn, Kenneth P., Bryan Lask, Isabel Owen, and Gran Bodegrd. Others are from Balkan countries or former Soviet republics south of Russia. Resignation In this scenario, the parents would not find mental health treatment necessary. Later, Sveriges Television, Sweden's national public television broadcaster, was severely critiqued by investigative journalist Janne Josefsson for failing to uncover the truth. Looking for a flexible role? Are doctors ethically obliged to keep at-risk children out of detention? [4] Swedens Mystery Illness: Resignation Syndrome, Doctors of the World, last modified February 20, 2018, https://doctorsoftheworld.org/blog/swedens-mystery-illness-resignation-syndrome/. The sever culmination of resignation syndrome is when sufferers enter into a comatose state in order to escape their intolerable reality. Another explanation is that the mother attempts to manage her trauma, her depression and her needs, by projecting her problems onto the child. Resignation syndrome appears to be a very specialized response to the trauma of refugee limbo, in which families, many of whom have escaped dangerous circumstances in their home countries, wait to be granted legal permission to stay in their new country, often undergoing numerous refusals and appeals over a period of years. It did feel otherworldly and mythological in this very fundamental and strange way, Samuelson comments. Resignation syndrome might be part of a spectrum of different traumatic responses to instability and distress. 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. But then when their visa is denied and theyre told they have to go back to their home country, the fact that they actually had a good life in Sweden is in striking contrast to what they would be going back to., One doctor in Life Overtakes Medescribes the psychological reality this way: Your child is laying here like Snow White because everything is so terrible around her that this is a way of protection. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. Yet, as previously mentioned, no reported cases have been reported past Swedish national boundaries; therefore, the psychodynamic hypothesis falls short of explaining this bizarre phenomenon. Last modified May 26, 2019. But Sophie's father did not escape. Accordingly, the refugee child gradually takes up the position of devitalized infantas a form of protection against this emotional toxicity surviving together [as a family] in their current life circumstances[15], This hypothesis is supported by one of the narratives in Life Overtakes Me. Numerous conditions resembling Resignation Syndrome have been reported before - among Nazi concentration camp inmates, for example. They literally withdraw from the world as if theyre dead, Samuelson tells Deadline. Twenty months is a very long time for a child of her age to be disengaged from the world. So I discovered this blog and article about this phenomena because we are seeing cases of catatonic depression in immigrant children in a small CT community. Traumatized Children And Resignation Syndrome: Thats maybe a clue.. Resignation syndrome appears to be a very specialized response to the trauma of refugee limbo, in which families, many of whom have escaped dangerous circumstances in their home countries, wait to be granted legal permission to stay in their new country, often undergoing numerous refusals and appeals over a period of years. What is resignation syndrome and why is "They took me away and then I don't remember anything," he says. Kristine Samuelson & John Haptas Recount the Horror of Resignation Syndrome for Life Overtakes Me by Joey Moser January 31, 2020 in Documentary, To be more specific, with proper treatment of past traumatic experiences, these refugee children are not forced to suppress their trauma or have it resurface when there is a threat of deportation. Assuming that his hypothesis of a culture bound psychogenesis is true, of course. Similar behaviors were also observed during the Holocaust; in his Frontiers article, Karl Sallin describes the phenomenon of the "muselmann" in Nazi concentration camps, in which people without hope began refusing food and entered a catatonic state. The UNHR says that there are around 24.5 million refugees and 3.1 asylum-seekers worldwide in 2019, displaced from their homes by war, disaster or persecution. These adolescents have frequently experienced physical or psychological trauma from their home countries, a factor that compelled their families to flee and seek asylum in Sweden. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules.
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