Asylum seeker advocates have warned that uncertainty over applications was causing mental health problems, and long waiting periods have been blamed for what has been described as secondary trauma or visa distress. Many asylum seekers spend years in immigration detention not knowing if they will get a permanent visa or be sent home. The situation was considered worse for those processed while living in the community. Unlike those in detention, access to mental health care is only provided if they have acute symptoms. Greg Turner is a practising psychologist and the director of World Wellness Centre in Brisbane. The practice offers free psychological care to refugees and asylum seekers in the community. Probably about 80 per cent of our clients are presenting with issues post migration, around visa distress, he said. So its all about uncertainty. Shoukat Shauor is a Hazara Afghani who fled Pakistan on a boat, leaving behind his wife and one-year-old son.Mr Shauor was placed in detention for a year before being granted permanent residency and now lives in Tasmania. While his case has been resolved, he has been waiting three years to hear the outcome of a visa application for his family. Mr Shauor said his family remained the target of Islamic States (IS) militants. A suicide bomb blast tore through a Hazara town on Sunday, only blocks from where they live. They were unharmed but such incidents add to the toll of waiting. Im still waiting for my family, I dont know how long it will take, he said. Mr Turner said the impact of prolonged uncertainty and lack of control could be devastating. Because of this inability to predict or anticipate events and this uncertainty, people lose hope after a while, he said. (from the article) - [Cat]
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:47:41 +0000
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