Detained immigrants face significant mental health challenges due to stress, trauma, and poor conditions.

‘59.3% of #immigrants in extended US detention reported #PTSD symptoms. That's nearly double the rate for those in shorter-term detention.’

The study offers a stark warning about the potential harm of extended confinement. 




In examining 200 immigrants recently released from detention, the study found that those who had been held for six months or more were about 19 percent more likely to report poor or fair health than individuals with shorter stays.
Mental Health Issues in Detained Immigrants
"Our study provides evidence that poor self-reported health, mental illness, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were highly prevalent among all recently detained individuals," said lead researcher Altaf Saadi of Massachusetts General Hospital, US."But detention lasting six months or longer was associated with even higher rates," Saadi added. The findings are especially troubling: among detainees held for over six months, nearly half -- 49.1 percent -- reported poor or fair health, compared to 30.4 percent of those held for under six months. Mental illness afflicted 37 percent of long-term detainees versus 20.7 percent of those detained for shorter durations.
"Length of custody is one mechanism by which immigration detention might be a catalyst for worsening health," said the researchers, pointing to the current practice of indefinite detention without systematic release mechanisms as a likely driver of these adverse outcomes.
Advertisement