Migrant support group Doras has said immediate action is needed to ensure that vulnerable people living in direct provision have access to mental health supports and services.
The organisation has launched ">a new report into the issue and it comes after a number of suspected suicides in Direct Provision centres in recent months.
Doras said there were five key areas that needed to be addressed: unsuitable accommodation, delays in case processing, substance misuse and addiction, lack of support services, and the impact of Covid-19.
It said mental health and addiction services need be resourced appropriately to respond to the needs of people living in Direct Provision, including the provision of targeted outreach services.
It also said there was an urgent need for staff and management of DP centres to be aware of how to appropriately respond to the urgent mental health needs of residents, including people at high risk of suicide and people in need of crisis intervention support.
Doras said people with pre-existing mental health conditions are not being identified or given the accommodation and supports that they need. It said single rooms needed to be made available to people who self-identify or are identified by health professionals and support services as particularly vulnerable and at-risk.
John Lannon, Doras CEO, said: "We see too many cases of people who feel they have been abandoned, with nowhere to turn for mental health support.
"Every day spent in overcrowded accommodation, often in isolated locations and with no privacy, can lead to further traumatisation and distress for people struggling to cope with pre-migration trauma.
"Every day we see the negative mental health impact of Covid-19 restrictions, isolation, lack of access to services, and uncertainty over their future for people in Direct Provision. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and IPAS must make the necessary resources available to address this immediately.” The report also said suicidal ideation in children living in Direct Provision had been reported.
One service user quoted in the report said: "If you are not doing anything that is where you have problem. Because you can really be stressed out and the next thing, if you are not strong enough to withstand that stress. You find that you start drinking, or get addicted to drinking and drinking because there are some guys there. They drink themselves drunk on a daily basis as a result of the period of time where they have spent in the system.”
- samaritans.org / call 123 116
