Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma
Volume 3, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 234-242

Female genital mutilation in a young refugee: A case report and review (Review)

Suardi E. , Mishkin A. , Henderson S.W.
  • a New York Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia, Cornell Universities, United States
  • b St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, United States
  • c Columbia University, United States, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York Presbyterian Hospital, 622 West 168th Street, CHONY 8N, New York, NY 10032, United States

Abstract

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a widespread practice affecting up to 140 million girls and women worldwide (World Health Organization, 2008a). A substantial advocacy literature reports long-term psychological consequences of FGM, but there is little in the psychiatric literature to document this (Behrendt & Moritz, 2005). Within the broader psychiatric literature on refugee mental health, there are debates about the general validity of psychiatric diagnoses in refugee communities, including somatic disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (Summerfield, 2008). We present the case of a young woman with a history of FGM, who was repeatedly hospitalized for gastrointestinal complaints of unclear etiology and discuss how her case illustrates the diagnostic and cultural complexity of the psychosocial consequences of FGM and political asylum-seeking. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Author Keywords

Female genital mutilation posttraumatic stress disorder Gender-based violence Immigration Refugee

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79960960941&doi=10.1080%2f19361521.2010.501023&partnerID=40&md5=1fbe116a1c80cda664c9fef2048018bf
DOI: 10.1080/19361521.2010.501023
ISSN: 19361521
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English