Detained asylum seekers may be being re-traumatised

doi:10.1136/bmj.39191.724097.3A

BMJ 2007;334:916-917 (5 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39191.724097.3A

Letters

Asylum seekers

Detained asylum seekers may be being re-traumatised

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Bisson's review does not mention torture, a common cause ofpost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or the risk of re-traumatisationin such patients. UK doctors are most likely to encounter theseproblems among asylum seekers, especially those who have beendetained in removal centres after being "failed" by the HomeOffice and immigration judges.¹ The number of such cases probablyexceeds 5000 per year.

It was accepted in the drafting of the detention centre rules²and underlying statutory instruments that detention of torturesurvivors was unduly likely to cause severe psychological harmand should occur only under "exceptional circumstances."

Doctors working in detention centres are required to reportto the Immigration and Nationality Department about anyone whosehealth is likely to be harmed by detention, which can be ofindefinite duration, exceeding one year without any convictionin some cases. Sadly, receipt of such reports (when sent) hasresulted in inaction . . . [Full text of this article]

Frank W Arnold, independent doctor

Reading RG6 1QB

arnold_frank@hotmail.com