Mental Health Consultations in Immigration Detention: What Can We Learn From Clinical Records?
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BORIS DOI
Date of Publication
January 25, 2024
Publication Type
Article
Division/Institute
Author
Heller, Patrick | |
Bachmann, Anne-Claire B | |
Barbolini, Jonathan | |
Fuhrer, Clara | |
Gétaz, Laurent | |
Luke, Eric | |
Wolff, Hans |
Series
International journal of public health
ISSN or ISBN (if monograph)
1661-8564
Publisher
Frontiers
Language
English
Publisher DOI
PubMed ID
38332758
Uncontrolled Keywords
Description
Objectives: Knowledge on mental health consultations in immigration detention and characteristics of people receiving consultations is scarce. Based on a sample of 230 adult men in immigration detention in Switzerland, we aimed to: (1) Quantify the proportion of persons receiving mental health consultations during detention; and (2) Identify socio-demographic and clinical characteristics associated with mental health consultations. Methods: Retrospective observational study with a cross-sectional design. Prevalence estimates, logistic regressions, and contingency tables were used to analyse the data. Results: A total of 30% of the sample received mental health consultations during detention. Time spent in immigration detention, mental health problems during detention, use of psychotropic medication, and self-harm were associated with mental health consultations. Although mental health consultations are provided to people with more severe mental health problems, 41% of persons with assessed mental health needs during the initial screening and 26% of those who self-harmed during detention did not receive mental health consultations. Conclusion: Mental health resources and screening procedures could be improved to ensure that mental health consultations are matched to clinical need in immigration detention settings.
File(s)
File | File Type | Format | Size | License | Publisher/Copright statement | Content | |
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ijph-69-1605896.pdf | text | Adobe PDF | 624.15 KB | published |