Medici per i Diritti Umani supported by UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency
presents the report

FRAMMENTI
Migrations, trauma and mental health

It is often argued that extreme traumatic events such as torture and intentional violence lead to a dramatic fragmentation of the psychic functions of those who experience them. Similarly, the healing process can be metaphorically and practically seen as a reintegration of the “fragments” of the survivors’ minds and bodies, akin to the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi that makes fractures precious.

Over a million migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers have arrived in Italy in the past decade, including a significant percentage who have survived extreme traumas. Since 2014, Medici per i Diritti Umani  has attempted to address this increasing health need by implementing an intervention model to promote the psychophysical and social well-being of survivors of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment: the Psychè centers for transcultural mental health, active in Rome, Florence, and Ragusa.

Over 1,500 migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees have been assisted over 9 years in more than 8,000 sessions. Of these, over 80% reported having experienced torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in their countries of origin and/or along migration routes.

In 2017, the italian Ministry of Health issued guidelines for the care, rehabilitation, and treatment of psychiatric disorders in refugees who have experienced torture, rape, or other severe forms of psychological, physical, or sexual violence., but Italy is still far from implementing and putting into practice the guidelines contained within them.

The decade experience of the Psyche centers  has allowed us to observe the existing  gap in healthcare services and reception system, and to realize an effective, replicable,  and sustainaible model of  action although still partial. This model sees subsidiarity between public services and social private organizations as the key element of a possible  response.

 In addition, to presenting the intervention model of the Psychè centers, Medu aims to provide, in this report supported by UNHCR, an overview of the current complexity of the relationship between migration, trauma, and mental health in host countries. Furthermore, “Frammenti” also offers some concrete proposals to enhance our country’s system’s capacity to manage a phenomenon that poses numerous challenges, not only healthrelated but also social and cultural, addressing policymakers at various levels and the entire socio-healthcare system.

Since 2017, transcultural mental health projects have been carried out with the support of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The project is also supported by Latter-day Saint Charities and Otto per Mille of the Tavola Valdese