Nearly all of the children who stayed in the now demolished Calais camp for refugees have a mental health condition such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, according to psychiatric assessments of some of those waiting to come to Britain. Evidence compiled by a psychiatrist for Citizens UK, which is supporting scores of children dispersed around France, suggests that their mental health is deteriorating amid continuing delays over their transfer. Since the demolition of the camp, the charity’s staff report receiving suicidal text messages from the children. Dr Susannah Fairweather, a psychiatrist who led a team assessing the children, said there had been a “significant deterioration in the children’s mental health, including a risk of suicide”. The longer they are met with uncertainty from authorities about their situation, the less likely they are to trust professionals.

Source: The Guardian November 05, 2016 21:00 UTC