We are working with various organisations to improve understanding of mental health within asylum seeker and refugee communities and to ensure that services and communities are more aware of the complex and diverse needs of this group.

Asylum seekers and refugees experience significant mental health problems arising from the trauma of being displaced, often through war and persecution. Added to this, in arriving in Scotland, they can experience negative attitudes and face stigma and discrimination in accessing services and going about their daily lives.

‘Human beings are the same everywhere but different circumstances cause mental health problems. In Somalia, it’s poverty and civil war. But it’s different here – worse – because of the isolation, not being supported by many people and fear of being deported back. In this country, we can’t relax. We can become sick and stressed inside with bad news from the Home Office’

Quote from focus group with asylum seekers and refugees

We are committed to developing projects based on real peoples’ experiences and we aim to develop a programme of work, which will promote the mental health and well-being of asylum seekers and refugees and provide a model of good practice that can be replicated in other areas.

For more information please contact:
Neil Quinn at: Neil.Quinn2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk