title: Length of stay in asylum centres and mental health in asylum seekers: a retrospective study from Denmark.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The length of stay in asylum centres is generally mentioned as a possible health risk to asylum seekers. Medical staff working with asylum seekers has claimed that long lengths of stay in asylum centres might cause or aggravate mental disorders. We used records from a large, multiethnic group of asylum seekers to study if the incidence of mental disorders increased with length of stay.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population was asylum seekers in Danish asylum centres run by the Danish Red Cross. General medical care was provided by Red Cross staff who could refer selected cases to medical specialists. If an asylum seeker needed more than three specialist consultations for mental illness or five consultations for physical illness the referrals had to be approved by The Danish Immigration Service. Between July 2001 - December 2002 the Red Cross prospectively registered health related data on all new applications (n = 4516) to the Immigration Service regarding referrals to medical specialists. We used these records to analyse the association between length of stay in the asylum centres and overall rate of referral for mental disorders. Data was analysed using weighted linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that referrals for mental disorders increased with length of stay in asylum centres in a large, multiethnic population of asylum seekers. The association was found in all the categories of psychiatric illness studied and for a majority of the nationality groups studied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Length of stay in asylum centres was associated with an increase in referrals for mental disorders in a large, multiethnic group of asylum seekers. The present study supports the view that prolonged length of stay in an asylum centre is a risk factor for mental health. The risk of psychiatric illness among asylum seekers should be addressed by political and humanitarian means, giving prevention of illness the highest priority.
authors.affiliation: Højdevangs Allé 9 st, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark. hallas@rocketmail.com
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hallas
authors.forename: Anne R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Mia A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Staehr
authors.forename: Ebbe
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Munk-Andersen
authors.forename: Henrik L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Jorgensen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000533:Altruism; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D017050:Episode of Care; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012011:Red Cross; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology