Integration of Refugees With Mental Disorders Into the Public Psychotherapeutic Health Care Services - a Model Project With Trained Peers

There are specific barriers to utilise psychotherapeutic services for refugees with mental health problems in the German public health care system. This study aims to evaluate additional organisational components that are hypothesised to improve service utilisation.

In a randomised controlled trial, refugees with mental health problems are identified by peers, subsequently assessed by professional staff and referred to public psychotherapeutic health services who offer standard care. Participants are assigned to care as usual or to "coordinated and peer supported mental health care"; the latter includes several additional organisational assistance components, i.e. a coordination center, trained peers to support treatment utilisation, a support and training center for therapists, and a interpreter pool. Measures include service utilisation and symptom change after 6 months. Furthermore the study evaluates whether trained peers can correctly identify participants with mental health problems.