Mental health of asylum seekers 'ignored'

10 Dec 2012, 5:35 pm   -   Source: Luke Waters, SBS
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The mental health of asylum seekers is 'being ignored', health experts and refugee advocates say.

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The mental health of asylum seekers is 'being ignored', health experts and refugee advocates say.

There are concerns that even the strongest government recommendations from health professionals and refugee advocates are falling on deaf ears.

“They [asylum seekers] need to be removed into a therapeutic setting: a hospital or into the community,” says refugee advocate, Pamela Curr.

“Those recommendations go to Canberra and they are ignored.”

Curr says it’s only a matter of time before suicide attempts are carried out by detainees at Nauru or Manus Island.

"I have witnessed myself so many people cutting themselves and trying to drink and also hang themselves and also starvation for long period time," says former detainee, Ramesh Fernandez, who now lives in Melbourne.

The disturbing reflections support the views of Psychiatrist Professor Louise Newman.

For more than a decade, she has been studying the link between long term detention and mental illness.

She believes offshore processing should be phased out immediately, as long-term detention is a major cause of mental illness.

“These people are unlikely to recover when they are faced with the prospect of arbitrary and very prolonged detention,” she told SBS.

“Their situation needs to be resolved to allow them to recover and function effectively.”

Treating mental illness inside detention centres is largely unsuccessful, says Professor Newmans, since it’s the centres themselves that are often the cause of the problem.

But in remote facilities like Nauru, there are practical difficulties in finding willing and capable health professionals to treat the psychological health of detainees.

It’s also expensive.

The cost of charter flights for detainees and workers travelling between centres is now estimated at more than $6 million a month.

“It's ineffective and it's producing a huge health burden of mental health problems that the Australian public is likely to have to pay for,” Professor Newman told SBS.

“We could place a thousand health professionals in these locations and it will not fix people.”

But the Government says detainees are offered the best available care.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said:

“People transferred offshore receive health care from onsite general practitioners, nurses, paramedics, counsellors and psychologists. There is also a visiting psychiatrist and other specialists as required.”

Asylum Seekers , Mental Health

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Mr

AB - from Riverina, 5 months ago

Mental health of asylum seekers ignored - What about the mental health of our own population, it has been ignored for the past 30 odd years when mental institutions were closed down on mass. This left thousands of Australians to cope with life on their own with very little support; if any. A referendum on the question of the percentage of Aussies who support these economic asylum seekers and those that don't would be good. It won't happen the government already knows the result. Send them back.

what could be moe sane?

phw - from canberra, 5 months ago

what could be more sane than fleeing war, oppression, deprivation; and barter your ability to work for a fair income to benefit you and your family? that is until you arrive in a country where your genuine intentions get you incarcerated in concentration camps. history can only watch aghast and ponder where the mental health problem resides: with those inside the concentration camps; or those outside constructing them.

Mr

Andrew (Andy) Alcock - from Forestville, Adelaide, 5 months ago

We live in a global community and should play a role in assisting the victims of war, repression and natural disasters. This should not be a case where the mental health services of Australian citizens should be played off against the mental health problems of asylum seekers. A large proportion of these asylum seekers are escaping from wars started by the US or repressive regimes that have US support. Our leaders have policies that tend to be "all the way with the USA", so we must help.

The mental health of asylum seekers is 'being ignored'

PaxUs - from Brisbane, 5 months ago

Well that will put them in line with most Australians.

That's the Aussie spirit.

Jones - from Brisbane, 5 months ago

Seems the Aussie spirit of mateship, helping your neighbour and giving it a go no mater how hard it is only extends to fellow Aussies. Reading these comments saddens me to think that Aussies are dumbing themselves down by following lame-stream media and facebook memes of perceived "threats" from refugees. There are real issues dealing with refugees it's not an easy process, no short term fix. This nation was built on immigration and we should be proud of those who want to call it home. Guess not

It's a horrible truth

Sand Groper - from Bunbury, 5 months ago

There's a comedian I don't have much time for, but he once said something rather wise. "There's no such thing as an illegal immigrant. If you're an immigrant, welcome, if you're illegal, get out!" Why is it that the people who are willing to go through all the hardship of officially entering the country are made to jump through the hoops time and time again, yet we have boats with an almost entirely male cargo can get all this assistance? Support the immigrants who respect our laws, please!

mentel health

lockey - from perth, 5 months ago

i agree with the majority of coments ,if its so bad for these so called asylum seekers to be in detention then set them free were they came from . we dont want pepole who jump ques there alot of geniuine refugees in camps that deserve our help but cant get here cause que jumpers take there place.namely cause there rich . the malasy soultion sounded good . BACK DOORERS OUT GENUINE IN

Bunkem

colonial boy - from europe, 5 months ago

If she is correct, we should empty our jails and make room for illegal immigrants.

Trust or not to trust that is our question

Kim - from Brisbane, 5 months ago

We are giving them a chance to prove if they can be trusted and all they are showing us is they will not conform, so what is there to makes us think that they will not use the same radical ideals among our populous are our children or older frailer people going to be put in harm's way? the willingness to disregard life instead of putting you head down and trying to learn about the culture or the language where you are meant to live would be better pursuits, helping build a better camp life 4 all

help our own people 1st

lockup15@hotmail.com - from altona, 5 months ago

I know plenty of people who really need Mental Help and they are NOT REFUGEE's and they work and pay taxes..But they can't get any help a lot of them even sleep on the streets, not in camps on beds with air-conditioners...Its like going to work but your pay goes to some-one else...Why don't we fix our own back yard up fist then help others...not the other way around

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