Ulysses Syndrome and family reunion: main topics of a working session in the European Parliament

The European Parliament will hold a working session on immigrant’s Ulysses syndrome and family reunion.
The European Parliament will hold a working session on immigrant’s Ulysses syndrome and family reunion.
Academic
(17/10/2018)

On Friday, October 19, the European Parliament will hold a working session on immigrantʼs Ulysses syndrome and family reunion which will gather experts on migration and social and educational policies. They will analyse issues such as the challenge of combining work, education and family for migrants; the hard process of family reunion, and how the European legislation can protect immigrants from far-right politics.

 

The European Parliament will hold a working session on immigrant’s Ulysses syndrome and family reunion.
The European Parliament will hold a working session on immigrant’s Ulysses syndrome and family reunion.
Academic
17/10/2018

On Friday, October 19, the European Parliament will hold a working session on immigrantʼs Ulysses syndrome and family reunion which will gather experts on migration and social and educational policies. They will analyse issues such as the challenge of combining work, education and family for migrants; the hard process of family reunion, and how the European legislation can protect immigrants from far-right politics.

 


One of the participants in the opening session is the lecturer of the University of Barcelona Joseba Achotegui, the author of the term Ulysses Syndrome, a syndrome seen in many immigrants in extreme situations which is featured by a specific mix of symptoms from the field of mental health (also known as the immigrant syndrome with chronic and multiple stress). The most important stress factors of this syndrome are mourning (related to loneliness and forced separation from the loved ones), loss of status (related to failure and desperation when the immigrant doesnʼt have the minimum conditions to survive), and danger of journey s/he is exposed to when traveling or living alone due being a foreigner.

Achotegui highlights this “session shows the importance of considering psychological experiences in immigrant families, especially regarding the underaged, which are more vulnerable” and notes that “living situations of fear, helplessness, exclusion or loneliness permanently (what Ulysses Syndrome causes) is a risk factor in mental health which has to be studied”.

The complete program for the activity is available here.