Selected links on Asylum-seekers in Europe

Asylum-seekers are vulnerable people. Displaced from their homes, in flight from persecution, often subject to mental and physical violence, they seek sanctuary in other countries that are free of war, violence and armed conflict. Yet on arrival in Europe their health often deteriorates. Asylum-seekers have a higher risk of getting mental illness due to the fact that they often have been exposed to extreme conditions, forced migration and large personal loss and other Human Rights violations. People that need asylum are often met with stricter enforcement of who to grant asylum in order to try to restrict the flow of asylum-seekers. The process of screening asylum-seekers to decide who is eligible or not for asylum will often worsen their mental health situation. We hope that this page can give information both to health personnel and to asylum seekers about the mental health situation of asylum-seekers in Europe.

Introduction to Asylum-seekers in Europe

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons convened under General Assembly resolution 429 (V) of 14 December 1950 UNHCR 1950
• The Exclusion of Asylum Seekers in Europe Liza Schuster 2004
• Guidelines on the treatment of Iraqi asylum seekers and refugees in Europe European Counsil on Refugees and exiles, ECRE, 2007
• Access to health care for asylum seekers in the European Union — a comparative study of country policies .
• The mental health needs of refugees and newly arrived communities. Marie Norredam et al 2005

Asylum-seekers and mental health

• Commission for patients and public involvement in health. David Palmer and Kim Ward 2006
• Longitudinal Study of Psychiatric Symptoms, Disability, Mortality, and Emigration Among Bosnian Refugees. American Medical Association. Richard F. Mollica, et al 2001
• Planning for optimal mental health. Responding to Refugee-related Trauma guideline UNHCR 2001
• Policies of Deterrence and the Mental Health of Asylum Seekers Derrick Silove et al 2000
• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support guideline. UNHCR 2007 chapter 11
• The mental state of detained asylum seekers. Patrick Bracken and Caroline Gorst-Unswortmh, 1991
• A second exile: the mental health implications of detention of asylum seekers in the UK Christina Pourgourides 1997
• Asylum seekers and refugees in Britain Health needs of asylum seekers and refugees Angela Burnett and Michael Peel, 2001

Children and underage asylum- seekers

• Mental health among children seeking asylum in Denmark – the effect of length of stay and number of relocations: a cross-sectional study. Signe Nielsen et al 2008.
• Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention. The Professional Alliance for the Health of Asylum Seekers & their Children, 2002.
• Traumatic experience and sleep disturbance in refugee children from the Middle East Edith Montgomery, Anders Foldsprang,1999
• Planning Better Outcomes and Support for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children. IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY DIRECTORATE UK 2007
• Seeking asylum in Denmark: refugee children’s mental health and exposure to violence Edith Montgomery, Anders Foldsprang,2005

Female asylum-seekers

• UNHCR Handbook for the Protection of Women and Girls UNHCR 2008
• Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.
• Female genital mutilation, asylum seekers and refugees:the need for an integrated European Union agenda Richard A. Powell et al. (2004)

Guidebooks for asylum-seekers and refugees

• Mental health of Refugees, UNCHR/WHO 1996 Guidebook .

Organisations and Sites

• Action for the Rights of Children a database on children’s rights Save the Children
• The Jesuit Refugee Service Europe, an international Catholic organization.
• Medical Foundation for the care of victims of torture
• Refugee Council Online
• Refugee- Action