The harrowing scenes of Afghans attempting to flee their homeland in pursuit of safety should stir in us compassion, sadness and concern.
Humanitarian crises like this require a humane response. But unless the government scraps its Nationality and Borders Bill, conditions faced by asylum seekers in the UK will be even harder than they already are and will cause untold harm to their mental health.
Most of us will never experience the traumatic events and circumstances faced by asylum seekers, some of whom will have been persecuted, raped or tortured.
A high proportion are scarred by their experiences and will have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. Many suffer from intense fear, sleep disturbances, profound hopelessness, self-harm and suicidal ideation.
In short, the experiences of asylum seekers will cause some degree of mental harm.
These symptoms reflect the terrible experiences they endured in their country of origin and during the often difficult and dangerous journeys to the UK.
Many have suffered multiple traumatic losses including bereavements, separation from loved ones and loss of home, status and identity. The speed in which people have fled Afghanistan is a stark demonstration of just how sudden and painful separation from loved ones can be.
Some have suffered the torment of watching people fall to their deaths from the underbelly of a military aircraft leaving the region. Others have handed over their babies to military personnel in a bid to get them out of the country knowing it might be the last time they see their child.
As the UK decides how best to respond to the migration of millions of Afghans, it’s clear that we are no way ready to provide them, or those asylum seekers already in the country, with the conditions and mental health support they need to get well.
The current Home Office tender for £1 million to improve asylum seekers’ mental health and wellbeing is no more than a sticking plaster on an open wound.
The money is wildly inadequate for the scale of the problem – a problem that’s only made worse by conditions which are far from therapeutic or conducive to recovery from a mental illness.
The conditions of detention centres only serve to exacerbate mental illness, particularly PTSD. Memories of traumatic experiences are likely to be triggered and may also increase distress through the threat of impending removal or deportation. Detention also prevents asylum seekers with a mental illness getting the help they need.
Successful treatment requires a holistic approach and continuity of care while focussing on recovery and relapse prevention. It is impossible to deliver this package of treatment in a detention centre, meaning asylum seekers are left living with untreated mental illness in a setting that is wholly inappropriate.
Things only stand to get worse if the government gets its Nationality and Borders Bill through parliament. The Royal College of Psychiatrists is calling for this bill to be scrapped, as it stands to leave thousands of asylum seekers in limbo as people will only be taken in based on the way they arrived in the UK rather than their need for help.
Many vulnerable asylum seekers with severe mental health problems already in the UK with only short periods of leave to remain or in uncertain situations will be unable to get the treatment they need.
If we are to play our part in the global response to this humanitarian crisis then we must start by scrapping the bill and improving living conditions and healthcare for those seeking refuge in the UK.
This is a watershed moment. The government cannot afford to miss this opportunity.
