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Mental Health

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

What Is It?
Why Is It Important?
Resources
References

What Is It?

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur after witnessing or experiencing life-threatening events, such as military combat, natural disasters, and serious accidents (National Center for PTSD). People with PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks. They may also have difficulty sleeping, feel irritable, and lose interest in things that they used to enjoy. PTSD can occur with depression, substance abuse, and memory loss (National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet). People of any age, sex, or race can develop PTSD. For more information on PTSD, see the National Institute of Mental Health

Why Is It Important?

Many Southeast Asian refugees are at risk for PTSD associated with trauma experienced before and after immigration to the United States (National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association). There is a high incidence of PTSD among Southeast Asian immigrants due to war and political oppression in their native countries (National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies). One study found that 70% of Southeast Asian refugees receiving mental health services met the criteria for PTSD. Another study of Cambodian adolescents who survived Pol Pot's concentration camps found that approximately half experienced PTSD and 41% suffered from depression 10 years after leaving Cambodia (National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association).

Resources

• International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
  http://www.istss.org/
  
• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
  http://www.naapimha.org/
  
• National Center for PTSD
  http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/
  
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
  
• PTSD Alliance
  http://www.ptsdalliance.org/home2.html

The following websites provide more information about coping with traumatic events:

• Information about coping with traumatic events
  
• Helping children and adolescents cope with violence and disasters

References

• National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies, http://www.navasa.org/
  
• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association, http://www.naapimha.org/
  
• National Center for PTSD, http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/
  
• National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet. (2003) National Center for PTSD. http://www.ncptsd.org/facts/general/fs_what_is_ptsd.html