Refugees and PTSD

Refugees and PTSD

I recently read stories of the emotional cliffs and valleys and financial drains people go through to find asylum from countries that are war-torn or from militant authorities bent on their exploitation or destruction. Added to the trauma already forced on them, it is a wonder any persevere and find a normal life.

Finding a safe place that will have these people is but one obstacle to building a future. It is no secret that our mental health system fails more people than it helps, often because those needing the most help don’t have the insurance or other resources to go to private caregivers. They make do with understaffed and underfinanced public institutions or give up and self-medicate, which runs the gamut from substance abuse to withdrawal from society. Refugees are no exception.

Causes and Symptoms of Trauma

Considering all the criticism surrounding President Obama’s policies on immigration and the acceptance of refugees, I was stunned to read that over two million people were deported during his presidency, many from behaviors associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. People fleeing from their countries have often witnessed the brutal murder of family, friends, or neighbors.

Child soldiers, especially from Africa, were torn from their homes to be addicted to drugs and used as an advance force to enter villages targeted by militants. They drew any resistors’ fire so the seasoned soldiers could pinpoint their location and take them out. These children, many not even teenagers yet, missed out on crucial psychological development skills and tend to exhibit problems with impulse control and overreactions to perceived threats.

All of the above behaviors are common for those suffering from PTSD. US doctors noticed that refugees from violence, instead of asking for emotional help, presented a host of physical ailments, pains in the stomach, head, or one limb or another. The stigma of being considered crazy could contaminate their families and prevented many from seeking psychiatric care.

Does that make them more of a security risk for countries taking them in? I would think so, especially if adequate provisions are not made to evaluate and treat normal emotional reactions to severely abnormal life experiences. Here in America, we have definite problems serving our own veterans and public. It seems unlikely that sufficient screening and resources will be made available for refugees, even more so now that the climate of charity for these people’s traumas is fast freezing over. I doubt denying them help, however, will make us a better, stronger, or even safer country.