It is no secret that asylum seekers live in poor conditions as they have access to very basic resources which are not enough to lead a quality life. Living in poor conditions can cause mental stress and lead to different mental disorders, however; asylum seekers face a big barrier in the treatment of their mental health. The asylum seekers have to leave their countries under stressful situations and even in a new country, they have to compete for resources. These experiences and situations can lead to post-traumatic disorder, depression, anxiety, etc.
The authors of the article surveyed primary care workers to assess the unmet needs of asylum seekers. These workers shared their opinions, shedding light on the situation. Many asylum seekers avoid getting any help with their mental health due to the stigma they would face within their community. This leads them suppressing their illness so much that it is manifested as a physical condition. Other than that those who do seek help are met with inadequate mental healthcare facilities, which lead to a poor diagnosis. After the research, it was concluded that there was a correlation between the reports made by the care workers and the concerns expressed by the asylum seekers (Bartolomei et al., 2016).
The conditions faced by the asylum seekers can be managed if their resources are increased through financial investment. Most mental health problems arise due to lack of resources like access to jobs, stable living conditions and access to proper food. Improving quality of life ensures better mental health and in case of mental health problems access to better healthcare should be a priority. Asylum seekers’ basic needs are not met and this is against human rights. Proper treatment is every human’s basic right and it should not be kept from them (Burns et al., 2011).
References
Bartolomei, J., Baeriswyl-Cottin, R., Framorando, D., Kasina, F., Premand, N., Eytan, A., & Khazaal, Y. (2016). What are the barriers to access to mental healthcare and the primary needs of asylum seekers? A survey of mental health caregivers and primary care workers. BMC Psychiatry, 16(1), 336. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-1048-6
Burns, L., Bradley, E., & Weiner, B. (2011). Shortell and Kaluzny’s Healthcare Management: Organization Design and Behavior. Cengage Learning.
