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The Covid-19 epidemic has exacerbated the psychological disorders observed among young immigrants due to the often painful migratory journey, due to increased isolation, said two sociologists in an interview with Agence France-Presse.
In Europe, the social and administrative status of immigrants is often unequal, some having completed their studies and others not. On the one hand, these immigrants have the particularity of being young, with an average age of 29.2 years in 2019 according to Urotsat, and they are in a precarious situation, according to Patricia Longel, professor of sociology at the École des Hautes health studies. General in Rennes (west of France).
This researcher, along with Alicia Lovibor, a sociologist and director of studies at the college, is leading a research project on the health of young immigrants that she presented on The Conversation.
The mental health of migrants is already at stake: 38% of them suffer from mental disorders (depression, suicidal thoughts …), according to the Primo Levi Research Center. “They have had traumatic experiences during the migration journey and are vulnerable to mental and psychosomatic illnesses,” Lunkle said.
One of the most common illnesses is Ulysses syndrome, which is chronic stress resulting from prolonged exposure to anxiety-inducing events.
“The behaviors can be very dangerous, and they can experience anxiety attacks or hallucinations resulting from the stress associated with uncertainty,” Lunkle said, noting that there are barriers to supporting them due to lack of space and training for professionals.
Since the onset of the health crisis, the feeling of insecurity has increased among migrants. Sometimes food was not available to them and their isolation increased dramatically.
– Informal help –
“We put people to safety, but they found themselves left to their own devices. Many small associations were forced to suspend their activities and the feeling of isolation and displacement of the immigrants worsened further,” said said Alicia Lovibore. In addition, all informal help, such as workshops, games and snacks organized by associations to help immigrants, has ceased.
And the researcher continued, “There is no more human warmth around them, as human interaction mainly depends on volunteers, and their mental health has deteriorated further.”
In France, “the State watches over their administrative status, but they exist only through their immigration status and not as vulnerable and extremely poor people”, according to the researcher.
In February, the French National Academy of Medicine described the health status of immigrants as “alarming”, citing their mental disorders “six times more than the average population”. She attributes this in particular to the instability of housing and hygiene conditions, in addition to the delay in obtaining their rights.
Among the most dangerous conditions, the two researchers mentioned in particular the administrative detention centers, some of which remained open during the closures imposed to fight against Covid-19, despite the impossibility of returning the detainees to their country of origin.
“The state sees these centers as a stop before deportation to another destination. Therefore, the suffering of the detainees is not of concern. Last year, the Comptroller General of Detention Centers condemned the difficulty of obtaining care for detainees, especially psychological care, ”Lefebor said. She pointed out that the detention of people with mental illnesses. Exacerbates their condition.
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