International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 15, Issue 7, 2018

Upon rejection: Psychiatric emergencies of failed asylum seekers (Article) (Open Access)

Schoretsanitis G.* , Bhugra D. , Eisenhardt S. , Ricklin M.E. , Srivastava D.S. , Exadaktylos A. , Walther S.
  • a University Hospital of Psychiatry, Bern, 3008, Switzerland, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics and JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52074, Germany
  • b Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
  • c University Hospital of Psychiatry, Bern, 3008, Switzerland
  • d Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, Freiburgstrasse, Bern, 3010, Switzerland
  • e Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, Freiburgstrasse, Bern, 3010, Switzerland
  • f Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, Freiburgstrasse, Bern, 3010, Switzerland
  • g University Hospital of Psychiatry, Bern, 3008, Switzerland

Abstract

Background: The status of a refugee or asylum seeker is only recognised after legal processes. The uncertainty of these procedures or the rejection itself may severely impact mental well-being. Methods: We surveyed the patterns of psychiatric services used by patients whose applications for asylum had been rejected. In a retrospective investigation of admissions to the University Emergency Department in Bern, Switzerland between 1 March 2012 and 28 February 2017, we studied patients receiving a psychiatric consultation after their applications had been rejected. The primary endpoint was based on the comparison of these individuals with controls who were asylum seekers with pending asylum applications using the Mann-Whitney U test and the chi-square test (χ2) with a significance level of 0.05. Results: Thirty-eight cases were identified. There were more men than women and the mean age was 30.08 ± 9.62 years. Patients predominantly presented as walk-in patients (n = 16, 42.1%), most frequently due to suicidal ideation (n = 16, 42.1%). Stress-related disorders were the most common diagnosis (n = 29, 76.3%) and patients were mainly referred to inpatient treatment (n = 28, 73.7%). Patients with rejected applications were less likely to be living in reception centres than patients with a pending application (χ2 = 17.98, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The profile of asylum seekers whose applications had been rejected reflects individuals with high-stress levels, potentially aggravated by the negative asylum decision. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

Failed asylum seekers Acute stress Psychiatric emergency services Psychiatric hospitalisation

Index Keywords

descriptive research psychiatric emergency refugee mental health service Bern [Switzerland] mental health human trend study Refugees epidemiology middle aged statistics and numerical data Stress, Psychological mental stress controlled study survey Mental Health Services asylum seeker Young Adult Humans psychology consultation male female stress hospital sector clinical article Article Retrospective Studies Bern [Bern (ADS)] adult age sex factor Sex Factors Age Factors hospital emergency service Emergency Service, Hospital retrospective study clinical decision making Switzerland Suicide suicidal ideation psychiatric emergency service
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85050289767&doi=10.3390%2fijerph15071498&partnerID=40&md5=e4db830c83b138e6c7fecdad6f076acb
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15071498
ISSN: 16617827
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English