T133. MENTAL HEALTH OF ASYLUM SEEKERS AT THE HUMANITARIAN CAMP IN PARIS

Andrea Tortelli,Alain Mercuel,René Wulfman,Marina Ibad-Ramos,Norbert Skurnik,Andrei Szoke,Florence Perquier

doi:10.1093/schbul/sby016.409

Abstract

BackgroundAsylum seeker status is associated to higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders due to not only pre-migration events but also to the trajectory of migration and post- migration adversities. Mental problems and need of care may vary according to these different stages. In France, after the cleaning of the “Calais jungle” in October 2016, most asylum seekers moved to Paris, where they live as homeless. An asylum seeker center (CPA- Centre Premier accueil) was then created a few weeks later, to allow rapid access to asylum seeker procedure, shelter, and medical care (including mental health).MethodsWe will analyze 1- year data (socio-demographic characteristics, migration history, psychiatric symptoms, hospital admissions and medical prescriptions) of about 1000 recently arrived asylum seekers who consulted for psychiatric examination in the refugee camp (CPA). Prevalence and bivariate analyses will be done. Factors associated with mental health problems will be identified using multivariate analyses.ResultsFindings will be discussed in the light of the French/European immigration policy and the organization of the public mental health system.DiscussionThe results of our study will contribute to the identification of mental health problems and correlates at the arrival of asylum seekers in France, in the aim to develop adequate service planning, prevention and support.

Highlights

The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) is a self-report questionnaire that has been developed to measure the dimensions of psychosis in the general population
Utilizing individual-level information in the rich Danish population-based registers enriched with longitudinal information on residential exposure to air pollution, we investigated the putative link between NO2 exposure during childhood and schizophrenia risk
We investigated whether or not several neighborhood characteristics would be associated with two important prognostic factors in early-course psychosis, age at onset of psychosis (AOP) and duration of untreated psychosis (DUP)

Summary

Background

There has been increasing interest in the role of the social environment in the development and outcomes of schizophrenia. We investigated whether or not several neighborhood characteristics would be associated with two important prognostic factors in early-course psychosis, age at onset of psychosis (AOP) and duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). It is known that certain risk factors such as gender, family history, and history of cannabis use are associated with an earlier AOP and other risk factors such as history of being incarcerated, history of cannabis use, and mode of onset of psychosis (MOO) are associated with longer DUP. Methods: Data were collected as part of the Atlanta Cohort on the Early Course of Schizophrenia project, which included patients hospitalized for a first episode of a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder. Diverse variables were obtained from interview-based measures, data from chart reviews, and informant/family member collateral interviews, including gender, family history of psychosis, history of cannabis use, history of incarceration, MOO, patient-level residential mobility, Neighborhood Disorder Scale (NDS), AOP, and DUP.

Findings