Greece: The impact of living in limbo on asylum seekers’ mental health

The CCAC in Lesvos was built on an area that used to be an army shooting range. One end of the camp faces the shore, the other side faces hills, and to enter or exit one must pass through a security checkpoint and wire mesh fences. 

“The camp was built hastily after the fire in Moria in September 2020, and not all existing structures are walled,” said Duccio Staderini, head of MSF projects in Lesvos. “Some areas of the camp also consist of big storage tents. People in the camp live in containers like the ones in Samos, and when occupancy reaches high levels, new arrivals might be given tents to set up in between the existing structures.”

The MSF team in Lesvos provides primary health care services with an integrated mental health and sexual and reproductive health care approach, as well as emergency medical assistance for new arrivals. Furthermore, to ensure people receive the necessary support, our multi-disciplinary approach also includes health promotion, intercultural mediation, and social and legal services.

Opaque procedures and no clear guidance 

People seeking medical treatment from MSF tell us that they are given little to no information about the asylum process, often sign documents they do not understand, and give interviews without legal counseling or even proper interpretation. People seeking safety have no other choice but to adjust to a reception system that undermines their dignity, agency, and identity

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“When someone goes on this journey, they have some hope; they wish to find calm,” said Mahmud.  “After our first rejection, people told us not to lose hope, not to stress, because maybe with the next interview we could get asylum. With the second interview, we had hope, but then we got a rejection. We did the third one, hoping again. After the fourth rejection, we lost all hope. We’re desperate.”

Access to health care, interpreters, and cultural mediators

For people living in the camps, access to health care services is hindered by shortages of resources and a lack of capacity in the national body responsible for health provision. The lack of interpreters and cultural mediators in public health care facilities adds to the challenges asylum seekers face in accessing health care.

This leads to preventable suffering and health deterioration for those with severe, life-threatening conditions.

The inhumane situations that people seeking safety experience on their journey weaken their coping skills and mental health, making it difficult to overcome other adversities when they arrive on Lesvos Island and during their stay at the camp.

“When I first arrived in Lesvos, I told them that I want to be in a country where I can be safe—a country where I could continue with my dentistry studies, find work, have security, and a future for my child,” said Mahmud. 

MSF urges the Greek government and European leaders to take all necessary measures to ensure that people seeking protection in Greece and other European Union member states are treated with humanity and dignity. This includes immediately and permanently ending all pushbacks and violent practices at borders; ensuring continued search and rescue. 

* Names have been changed for privacy.