A Walk-In Clinic for Newly Arrived Mentally Burdened Refugees: The Patient Perspective

Catharina Zehetmair, Valentina Zeyher, Anna Cranz, Beate Ditzen, Sabine C. Herpertz, Rupert Maria Kohl and Christoph Nikendei
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Catharina Zehetmair: Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department for General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Valentina Zeyher: Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department for General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Anna Cranz: Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department for General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Beate Ditzen: Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Institute of Medical Psychology, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Sabine C. Herpertz: Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Rupert Maria Kohl: Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Institute of Medical Psychology, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Christoph Nikendei: Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department for General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: Providing refugees with psychosocial support is particularly important considering the high level of mental health problems prevalent in this population. A psychosocial walk-in clinic operating within a state reception and registration center in Germany has been supporting mentally burdened refugees since 2016. This study focused on patients’ perspectives on their mental health burden, the psychosocial walk-in clinic, and future help seeking. We conducted interviews with n = 22 refugees attending the walk-in clinic from March to May 2019. Qualitative analysis focused on the following four topics: (1) mental burden from the patients’ perspective, (2) access to the psychosocial walk-in clinic, (3) perception of counseling sessions, and (4) perception of follow-up treatment. The results show that the majority of interviewees were burdened by psychological and somatic complaints, mostly attributed to past experiences and post-migratory stress. Therapeutic counseling and psychiatric medication were found to be particularly helpful. Most of the participants felt motivated to seek further psychosocial support. Key barriers to seeking psychosocial help included shame, fear of stigma, and lack of information. Overall, the psychosocial walk-in clinic is a highly valued support service for newly arrived refugees with mental health issues.

Keywords: refugees; mental burden; psychosocial support; mental health service; qualitative analyses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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