The literature tends to use ‘asylum seeker’ and ‘refugee’ interchangeably, creating uncertainty about the mental health of asylum seekers. However, asylum seekers occupy a unique position in British society which differentiates them from people with refugee status and which may have implications for their mental health. For example, ‘asylum seekers’ are supported and accommodated in dispersal areas under the National Asylum Support Service and they are not entitled to work.

The challenges of using EMDR for early trauma and neglect are that a) EMDR readily targets explicit memories, but early trauma is held in implicit memory in the right hemisphere (Siegel, Schore) and is not typically subject to direct recall, and b) Accessing the felt sense of early experience can be overwhelming if it includes the paucity of internal resources of a neglected baby. This workshop addresses both problems by careful preparation and systematic trauma reprocessing.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has scarcely been researched in the elderly. There is no population-based information on prevalence and risk factors in older persons. Patients with PTSD are often not recognized or incorrectly diagnosed. As the disorder has great implications for the quality of life, a correct diagnosis and treatment are crucial. Increased knowledge on vulnerability factors for PTSD can facilitate diagnostic procedures and health management in the elderly.

Mental health programmes in complex emergencies are generally accepted as an important component of aid work. However, this is a relatively recen t developmen t and th ere is a lack of theory-based practice and little analysis of previous interventions upon which effective, appropriate and sustainable programmes can be based. This article describes the theoretical framework, objectives,...