Refugees in Denmark living with trauma from war, flight and torture may wait an average of up to 15 years before reaching appropriate specialist treatment, according to an assessment by Rigsrevisionen, the country’s national audit office. Nationally, about one in three refugees is estimated to have trauma requiring treatment or another psychiatric condition.
That delay is not neutral time. The Danish Institute Against Torture, known as DIGNITY, a specialist Copenhagen clinic for survivors of torture, war and displacement, says the longer trauma goes untreated, the more complex and resource-intensive the eventual course of treatment becomes. Untreated trauma among refugees and their families is also a well-documented barrier to education, employment and participation in society.
What treatment achieves
The institute has documented statistically significant reductions in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and complex PTSD, and in anxiety and depression, between the start and the end of treatment, alongside improvements in recovery and in everyday functioning. Its team combines doctors, psychologists, social workers and physiotherapists, and treats children, adults and families both individually and in groups.
The referral that came from a workplace
One case set out by the clinic shows how people actually arrive at help. A Syrian torture survivor who had spent years in Denmark — language learned, job held, family reunited — found his symptoms returning: hours lying awake before sleep, nights he did not dare sleep at all because of the nightmares, flashbacks intruding many times a day, withdrawal from those around him, lost concentration and mistakes at work.
What produced a referral was not a health system that identified him. It was his line manager, who noticed the change, asked about it, and told him he needed professional help. The manager arranged a day off each week and covered his transport to and from sessions. The survivor was reluctant at first: in the circles he came from, seeing a psychologist carries a stigma. When general psychological support proved insufficient, he was referred on to specialist care, where talking therapy was paired with physiotherapy to ease the tension held in his body.
He began to notice a difference after about a month. He now sleeps through the night, the flashbacks come less often, and he has returned to family occasions he had stopped attending. The institute describes early identification and timely specialist treatment as decisive.
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
