The mental health needs in Nauru are significant and the services currently available are insufficient.
The lack of mental health support available affects both the Nauruan population and the asylum seekers and refugees living on the island as part of the Australian government’s policy of offshore processing.
Our teams identified cases of schizophrenia and family violence, and concerning levels of depression in Nauru, especially among children in a formal report, published in December 2018. Asylum seekers and refugees had been on the island for up to five years with little or no hope of finding a place of safe resettlement.
