Book contents
- Seeking Asylum and Mental Health
- Seeking Asylum and Mental Health
- Copyright page
- Contents
- The Authors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Glossary
- Introduction
- 1 Why do people seek asylum? The global context
- 2 Seeking asylum in the United Kingdom
- 3 Seeking asylum and mental health
- 4 Access to mental health care
- 5 Assessing mental health needs
- 6 Interpreting assessment findings
- 7 Formulation and diagnosis
- 8 Common diagnoses
- 9 Intervention: the essentials
- 10 Specific interventions
- 11 Children, families, and young people
- 12 Records and reports
- 13 Improving mental health services
- 14 Therapeutic complexity
- 15 Working with people seeking asylum
- Some resources
- Index
- References
4 - Access to mental health care
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 August 2022
Book contents
- Seeking Asylum and Mental Health
- Seeking Asylum and Mental Health
- Copyright page
- Contents
- The Authors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Glossary
- Introduction
- 1 Why do people seek asylum? The global context
- 2 Seeking asylum in the United Kingdom
- 3 Seeking asylum and mental health
- 4 Access to mental health care
- 5 Assessing mental health needs
- 6 Interpreting assessment findings
- 7 Formulation and diagnosis
- 8 Common diagnoses
- 9 Intervention: the essentials
- 10 Specific interventions
- 11 Children, families, and young people
- 12 Records and reports
- 13 Improving mental health services
- 14 Therapeutic complexity
- 15 Working with people seeking asylum
- Some resources
- Index
- References
Summary
People in the asylum system who might benefit from mental health care frequently find it very difficult to access this.
Some do not seek help, perhaps because they do not expect mental health services to be helpful or because of fear, stigma, or wanting to avoid the processes of help-seeking.Those who do seek help encounter multiple challenges including language barriers, the limitations of health care provision within the asylum system, difficulties negotiating primary care, NHS charges, practical difficulties in getting to a first appointment, and service eligibility criteria. People may face barriers linked to their age, gender, sexuality, or being destitute.
The chapter offers a typology of obstacles to reaching effective mental health care as a step towards considering how these may be addressed.This considers the context (resource limitations /ambivalence about providing equal care) and the sources of specific obstacles, including ‘hostile’ asylum policies. Recurring themes include the need for accessible information,friendly compassionate staff, cultural competence, access to qualified interpreters, appropriately trained staff, and a willingness to be flexible.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Seeking Asylum and Mental HealthA Practical Guide for Professionals, pp. 71 - 89Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
References
Bignall, T., Jeraj, S., Helsby, E., and Butt, J. (2019). Racial Disparities in Mental Health: Literature and Evidence Review. London: Race Equality Foundation.Google Scholar
Campbell, R. (2017). Locked Up, Locked Out: Health and Human Rights in Immigration Detention. London: British Medical Association.Google Scholar
Gov.uk (2021). Language interpreting and translation: Migrant health guide. www.gov.uk/guidance/language-interpretation-migrant-health-guideGoogle Scholar
Equality and Human Rights Commission (2018). Making sure that people seeking and refused asylum can access healthcare: What needs to change. www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/people-seeking-asylum-access-to-healthcare-what-needs-to-change-1.pdfGoogle Scholar
Kang, C., Tomkow, L., and Farrington, R. (2019). Access to primary health care for asylum seekers and refugees: a qualitative study of service user experiences in the UK. British Journal of General Practice, 69(685): e537–e545.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Medical Justice (2022). Harms in Detention. https://medicaljustice.org.uk/heathcare-in-detention/ (Accessed 28.4.22).Google Scholar
Memon, A., Taylor, K., Mohebati, L. M. et al. (2016). Perceived barriers to accessing mental health services among black and minority ethnic (BME) communities: A qualitative study in Southeast England. BMJ Open, 6: e012337.Google Scholar
Nellums, L. B., Rustage, K., Hargreaves, S., et al. (2018). The Lived Experience of Access to Health Care for People Seeking and Refused Asylum. Manchester: Equality and Human Rights Commission.Google Scholar
O’Shaughnessy, R., Nelki, J., Chiumento, A., Hassan, A., and Rahman, A. (2012). Sweet Mother: Evaluation of a pilot mental health service for asylum-seeking mothers and babies. Journal of Public Mental Health, 11(4): 214–28.Google Scholar
Quinn, N. (2014). Participatory action research with asylum seekers and refugees experiencing stigma and discrimination: the experience from Scotland. Disability & Society, 29(1): 58–70.Google Scholar
Schymyck, A. (2020). Rule 35 isn’t working and there’s data to prove it. www.freemovement.org.uk/rule-35-isnt-working-and-theres-data-to-prove-it/Google Scholar
Sen, P., Arugnanaseelan, J., Connell, E., et al. (2018). Mental health morbidity among people subject to immigration detention in the UK: A feasibility study. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci, 27(6): 628–37.Google Scholar
Summers, A., Alachkar, M., and Wells, R. (2018). Health and Wellbeing of Refugees Resettled in Lancashire. An assessment of needs for Lancashire Resettlement Programme, on behalf of Lancashire County Council. Published online by Rethink Rebuild Society at: www.rrsoc.org/node/1145Google Scholar
Straßner, C., Noest, S., Preussler, S. et al. (2019). The impact of patient-held health records on continuity of care among asylum seekers in reception centres: a cluster-randomised stepped wedge trial in Germany. BMJ Global Health, 4: e001610.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
UNHCR. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2008). The Right to Health. Factsheet 31. Geneva: United Nations.Google Scholar
Yeo, C. (2020). Welcome to Britain: Fixing Our broken immigration system. London: Biteback Publishing Ltd.Google Scholar
Accessibility standard: Unknown
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
Accessibility compliance for the HTML of this chapter is currently unknown
and may be updated in the future.