How was lockdown for you? Asylum seekers’ mental health during the pandemic

Mulberry Practice, in Sheffield, serves asylum seekers and victims of trafficking. As you can imagine we have a very high prevalence of mental health problems: PTSD, anxiety, and depression. In normal years I see a dip in my patients’ mental health when English classes close for the summer holidays. This year the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that not only have English classes ceased but also all the volunteering and socialising opportunities that give my patients a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. I cannot see when these activities will re-open as they are all dependent on volunteers and were already cash strapped.

Imagine lockdown if you: live in a room in a shared house, sharing with strangers who do not speak your language (some of my patients only have a skylight in their room); have no family or friends around you; have only a mobile phone, no broadband, and very little internet data; cannot afford books or crafts (asylum seekers receive just over £5 per day for food, toiletries, bus fare, phone costs, clothing …); are afraid to go out as you fear you will catch COVID-19 and never see your family again; and had poor mental health at the start of lockdown.

In June, six people were injured and a Sudanese asylum seeker died, during an incident in a hotel in Glasgow. The hotel was being used to house around 100 asylum seekers.¹ All the ingredients for acute mental health crises are in place in Glasgow and other cities across the UK where asylum seekers are housed. I would argue that if schools still open (with social distancing) for vulnerable children during lockdown, then there are also vulnerable adults for whom some structured daily activities should still be provided. Mental wellbeing is not an optional extra. It depends on the ability to connect to others: be physically active; learn new skills; and give to others as well as taking notice.² It is time to take notice of how we are caring for the most vulnerable members of our society.

• © British Journal of General Practice 2020