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New research shows that detention harms asylum seekers |
26 January 2010 -- A new study published in the Medical Journal of Australia finds that detention harms the mental health of asylum seekers.
In an analysis of 720 health records between 2005-06, researchers found that "asylum seekers had more health problems than other people in detention." People detained for more than 24 months, in particular, were shown to have particularly poor mental and physical health.
The study's central conclusions is that there is a "clear association between time in detention and rates of mental illness." The longer one stays detained, the more likely they will acquire a new health problem.
Read the news article:
19/01/2010, Sydney Morning Herald, "Detention harms asylum seekers: research"
Read the research study:
 Green, J.P. & Eagar, K. (2010). The health of people in Australian immigration detention centres. Medical Journal of Australia, 192 (2), 65-70
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