(Brussels, 7 October 2011) –
Mental health disorder is a wide-spread phenomenon
in Europe. Refugees are especially vulnerable. While
their journey to Europe is fraught with danger, not
everything simply falls into place once entry is
gained. Of the many problems facing refugees, there
is the pressing need for mental health care due to
the high percentage suffering from post traumatic
stress disorder. Awareness of this need, however,
has risen over the past years and has led to
constructive action.
One example is the creation of Centro Samifo in 2006
in Italy. Centro Samifo came into being after the
collaboration of Centro Astalli – the Italian office
of JRS – and the local health authority, to provide
mental health care for refugees.
Since 2007, the service has been operating five days
a week, every week of the year. ‘‘We have two
general practitioners that are in charge four days a
week, two psychiatrists and also there is a
psychologist’’ says Centro Safimo psychiatrist
Maurizio Bacigalupi. Other types of specialists,
such as a gynecologist, are also provided.
According to Bacigalupi, mental health problems
exist amongst refugees due to the traumatic
experiences they have endured. ‘‘It is not that
uncommon that we see some psychological problems,
even sometimes some severe psychiatric disorders.
About 30 per cent of refugees that come to Italy
have psychological problems’’ he says. These
disorders often lead to a myriad of different
physical health problems like insomnia, gastritisand
leg pains.
Torture is often a chief cause of such disorders.
‘‘One third of the people with mental health
problems who we deal with have experienced
torture’’, says Bacigalupi. One of the most common
types of torture is of a sexual nature. ‘‘The sexual
abuse of women is really common’’ he states.
Shockingly, he claims never to have seen ‘‘a woman
who has been tortured that has not been a victim of
sexual abuse.’’
Sexual abuse, however, is not perpetrated solely
against females. Bacigalupi has also counselled men
who have experienced rape and genital electrocution.
This ‘‘especially has a really dramatic
psychological consequence amongst Muslim men because
... in the Islamic culture’’, such subjects are
particularly taboo. He points out, however, that the
specific types of torture which people are subjected
to are irrelevant, ‘‘it’s the humiliation that the
torture causes’’ the victim that causes most of the
damage.
While Centro Samifo has been providing a service of
utmost importance for five years now, problems lurk
behind every corner. The worldwide financial crisis
has had an inevitable and adverse impact on the
services they provide. ‘‘It is not possible to give
psychotherapeutic treatment to all the people that
need it’’, Bacigalupi bemoans. But in an overall
context, he is content and optimistic with the
‘‘union’’ between the social services and Centro
Astalli because it ‘‘is a good way to give a correct
response to the needs of migrants with mental health
problems.’’
