Growing amount of Polish immigrant workers seek mental help in the Netherlands

Offering mental health to Polish immigrant workers in Polish

At this moment there are more than 200.000 Polish immigrants living in the Netherlands. Most of them moved from Poland to the Netherlands in 2004 when Poland joined the EU.  The reason for moving away from their home country was mainly for financial reasons; the Netherlands offered more work at a better pay. Immigrant workers were offered housing as well as work. However, in some cases the quantity of money and the quality of housing is far less than what was initially promised to the Polish employees. Amongst others this has caused a growing amount of mental issues. Psychiatrist Iwona Smoktunowicz, who is Polish, says that she was unable to help all the Polish patients asking for her help. Therefore she joined forces with the Mental and Health Organisation (GGZ) in Amsterdam in 2009 to set up an establishment where Polish immigrants seeking mental help could get aid in their own language. The demand was so great that within 2 years affiliates were opened in Eindhoven, Deventer, Utrecht and Zoetermeer. At this point there are 11 psychiatrists and psychologists working in these institutions, who speak Polish as well as Dutch.

Dutch government fails to manage influx of Polish immigrants

The Dutch government has failed to manage the influx of migrant workers from Poland properly. This was written in a report by the Parliamentary Committee, which appeared in September 2011, in which it was also said that:

• There is a large number of rogue agencies and poignant housing;
• The Polish complain that they are discriminated against by the Dutch.

Both issues are mentioned by psychic patients as a reason for their illness. Some patients mentioned that they do not speak Polish to their children out of embarrassment and the hope that their children will not be discriminated against if they do not speak their mother tongue.

Shame about psychic illness

Most Polish immigrants seeking psychiatric help come to Amsterdam according to Smoktunowicz. Because most of them work during the day, the institution is open during 6 days a week until 10.00 o’clock at night. GGZ Office manager Eugeniusz Brzezinski, says that Polish workers are ashamed to tell their boss that they are seeking mental help. According to him, they are afraid to lose their job. More reasons according to Brzezinski why Polish migrants have a hard time visiting GGZ is that:

• They are intimidated  and they do not know the rules in the Netherlands.
• Also important, is that seeking mental help is a taboo amongst Polish people. The Office manager therefore believes that there is a large group of Polish worker who might need help but won’t go out to look for it.
• The fact that Polish immigrants have to visit a Dutch general practitioner in order to get a referral to visit a specialist, makes it more difficult for them to actually take that step in order to get help.

Living in large groups

One of the problems with the living situation is that Polish immigrants are obliged to live with a large number of fellow immigrants in one space. Sometimes Polish workers live with 10 fellow countrymen in one house. In such circumstances it is ifficult for them to rest properly, causing them to be tired while working. Other problems which Smoktunowicz has found are that:

• Sometimes problems exist within the group or the group isolates itself and gets isolated by others, which makes it difficult for the Polish group to integrate in the Netherlands.
• Smoktunowicz has also found that because of boredom some Polish people get addicted to alcohol and drugs. Soft drugs are legal in the Netherlands, which cause some Polish people to believe that it is normal to partake in heavy usage of these addictive substances. Because they do not speak Dutch, they are unable to learn about the negative side effects.
• Problems exist between parents and their children because the children are exposed to the liberal, “we can talk about anything” culture, in school. Traditionally Polish parents are more strict and expect their children to listen and follow their orders without discussion. Therefore at home, Polish norms and values clash with what children learn in Dutch schools.

Source: Dagblad De Pers, 1 november 2011