Migrants “are very exposed to psychological suffering”

An inflatable mattress deployed in the street, screams of terror, knives, a person approaching dangerously from an open window. The scene experienced Tuesday morning on rue du Simplon, below Lausanne station, left its mark on the minds of those who experienced it. The police do not confirm that a suicide attempt took place during the intervention aimed at accompanying an Ethiopian couple to a plane taking them back to Romania, but the testimonies in any case show that the situation was particularly emotionally tense. .

The risk is known in the community. “Scientific literature shows that people from the asylum field are highly exposed to psychological suffering and present a high risk of developing psychiatric disorders,” describes the Department of Health and Social Action (DSAS). Numerous studies estimate that the prevalence of these disorders affects between 20 and 60% of migrants, depending on ethnic origin and type of migratory route.” In addition, “the manifestations of psychological problems can take several clinical forms, and be influenced by culture, which sometimes complicates the making of a diagnosis.”

A number of cases have been publicized in recent years, including the suicide attempt of a young Afghan mother in Sainte-Croix (VD) this spring. “I would rather die than be fired,” then quoted “24heure”. A young applicant, also Afghan, killed himself in 2022 in Geneva, followed a few months later by a 33-year-old Nigerian applicant.

For years, the Canton of Vaud has been setting up the Health and Migration Network, a specialized medical-health system made up of front-line medical-nursing teams, details the DSAS. “Asylum seekers who present psychological difficulties are detected and referred to mental health professionals”, notably at the CHUV, the Nant Foundation, the Appartenance association or even towards practices specializing in transcultural psychiatry. A network of associations is also active, not to mention “for minors, the fundamental role of schools”.

And the Canton claims to have further strengthened its support for several projects over the past two years, in the face of more numerous arrivals. “The mental health of migrants is taken very seriously, and many measures have been put in place. Despite this, it is unfortunately impossible to prevent all situations of distress that could lead to desperate acts.”

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