The Impact of Forced Displacement on Mental Health: A Case Study of an Elderly Couple in Chiapas

Abstract

This article examines the impact of forced displacement on mental health in Chiapas, using the case study of an elderly couple displaced from Tapachula following an armed attack carried out by organized crime. Through a mixed-methods approach - including in-depth interviews and the application of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales- high levels of anxiety and depression were identified in the affected individuals. The analysis draws on theoretical frameworks such as structural violence, biopolitics, and migratory grief to understand how uprooting, impunity, and state abandonment contribute to collective trauma. The case highlights the fragmentation of the social fabric, the loss of identity, and emotional deterioration resulting from the loss of home and life projects. The article concludes that public policies must place mental health at the center of analysis and address forced displacement as a structural crisis, not merely a humanitarian one.