Political Psychopathologies: The Asylum Procedure and Major Depressive Disorder in the EU+
Edoardo Bernucci (University of Padova)
The present work investigates the relationship between the asylum procedure and the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) among refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) in EU+ countries. The asylum application procedure is a problematic process, which materially deprives applicants and limits their autonomy, triggering processes that may lead to psychopathology. After presenting evidence of a high prevalence of depressive disorder in this population, significantly different rates of pathology between asylum seekers (still in the application phase) and refugees (who have completed the procedure with a positive outcome) will be discussed. Evidence from comparative studies and qualitative research will be examined to substantiate this difference. The complexity and unpredictability of the asylum system, together with the sense of hostility it conveys to applicants, is a recurring theme in the literature. Therefore, some studies suggesting a mediating role of general self-efficacy and perceived discrimination in the development of MDD will be reviewed. I will then briefly illustrate alternative determinants of the disorder’s prevalence in RAS, such as cultural competence, and possible antecedents of the problematic nature of the asylum system, including the progressive closure of EU+ borders. In the final part, I will examine the importance of interventions aimed at the collective efficacy of RAS and of international policies that recognise the freedom of movement of all human beings.
English 
Italiano