Stress and the City: Flight, Migration and Mental Health

The rapidly growing cities of our world are the primary destinations for both intra- and interregional migration including flight. Particularly the last two years have witnessed substantial migration movements and the advent of refugees to Europe. Against this background cities are the essential integration motors of our societies. City authorities and health care services in particular have to deal with populations who are frequently traumatized, present with culture and language barriers, suffer from poverty and experience social exclusion. If the governance of integration processes fails social conflicts and mistrust between residents and migrants frequently impact the social cohesion of urban areas and challenge mental health of all residents. Therefore cities are in need of public mental health strategies which take migration processes under clear consideration. This workshop brings together views and lessons from mental health care and psychiatry, social sciences and governance and aims at developing consequences from an interdisciplinary debate.