A few Myanmar refugees visit a psychiatrist in the Thai border town of Mae Sot every Tuesday morning to talk about the terror of fleeing violence and their anxiety about the future. Many of them have post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety, and the psychiatrist is familiar with the trauma her patients share, having fled Myanmar herself. Thai authorities do not officially recognize refugees but allows thousands of Myanmar migrants to stay in border camps, many of whom struggle to survive on their own. There is a growing need for mental health care for the thousands of displaced people along the Thai-Burma border, and a few grassroots initiatives have sprung up in the last year to address the need. While data on the diaspora in Thailand is minimal, preliminary research by another anonymous nonprofit supporting Myanmar migrants in Thailand found only 7 percent of those on the border contacted a counselor during periods of stress.

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