Suicide Risk in Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Abstract

Increasing numbers of individuals forced to leave their home countries in areas of war, conflict, human rights violations and persecution pose a challenge for host countries to meet the mental-health care needs of these individuals. Refugees and asylum-seekers may face unique risk factors for mental disorder before, during, and after their migration leading to suicidality. Experiences of family withdrawal, integration difficulties, and perceived lack of care may contribute to suicide within the refugee populations. Identifying effective treatments and support to minimize the risk especially once the individuals arrive in their new country is key to providing appropriate care. Barriers to mental-health care including lack of knowledge about available resources, communication or language barriers, cultural beliefs about origins and treatment of mental disease, as well as a lack of trust in authority, pose a challenge for health care providers and policy makers.

Research has been inconsistent in the findings for the prevalence of mental disorders, suicidal behaviours, and suicide ideation among refugees and asylum seekers. Thus far, research has been limited to small scale, non-randomised, often qualitative analysis. Several studies have found higher rates of mental disorder, whereas others have found a similar prevalence as in the general population, although, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has more consistently been found to have a higher prevalence among migrants. The lack of early and thorough exploration of suicidal intent in this population requires large-scale quantitative studies to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of current practices in mental-health care and suicide prevention.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.