Mental health and the asylum process

Meeting the mental health needs of refugees and asylum seekers.

Mental health provision for diverse refugee populations is faced with a number of challenges, and requires the development and evaluation of flexible service models that maximise capacity and utilise existing non-specialist resources. Emerging therapeutic approaches should be applied in real settings, adapted to cultural needs and integrated with the other agencies involved.

The mental health services for detained asylum seekers in Malta

Approximately 17 000 individuals have claimed asylum in Malta over the past 10 years. Maltese law stipulates mandatory detention. Here, we review Malta's asylum procedures and detention policy, and explore the impact of detention on mental health. We review the current mental health services and make recommendations to help fill the gaps.

Impact of asylum interviews on the mental health of traumatized asylum seekers

BACKGROUND Asylum interviews within the asylum procedure are associated with psychological stress for traumatized asylum seekers. This study investigates the impact of asylum interviews on the mental health in a sample of 40 traumatized asylum seekers. The comparison group consisted of refugees (N=10) that had not been invited to an asylum interview. Additionally, the moderating effects of tria...

Mental health services for asylum seekers and refugees: a snapshot

Mental health and healthcare utilization in adult asylum seekers.

UNLABELLED We assessed a sample of unselected adult asylum seekers to determine their current mental health status and patterns of healthcare utilisation. METHOD We included 78 unselected adult asylum seekers after their first year of residence in the Zurich area of Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Office for Migration provided their names and addresses. The current mental health of the partici...