Intended for healthcare professionals

Letters Asylum seekers

Detained asylum seekers may be being re-traumatised

BMJ 2007; 334 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39191.724097.3A (Published 03 May 2007) Cite this as: BMJ 2007;334:916
  1. Frank W Arnold, independent doctor
  1. Reading RG6 1QB
  1. arnold_frank{at}hotmail.com

    Bisson's review does not mention torture, a common cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or the risk of re-traumatisation in such patients. UK doctors are most likely to encounter these problems among asylum seekers, especially those who have been detained in removal centres after being “failed” by the Home Office and immigration judges.1 The number of such cases probably exceeds 5000 per year.

    It was accepted in the drafting of the detention centre rules2 and underlying statutory instruments that detention of …

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