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Overview
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder which
can affect anyone exposed to severe or long-term trauma. PTSD symptoms
include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, depression, paranoia, recurrent
thoughts about the original trauma, or suppression of memories associated
with the trauma. PTSD is treatable with medications and therapies that
can help diminish symptoms. There may be multiple events and situations
that can cause PTSD, including, but not limited to, exposure to intense
military combat, sexual assault, natural disasters, extreme survival
situations, loss of loved ones, abrupt displacement from the familiar
and loss of identity. Prolonged exposure to intense traumatic situations,
or repeated exposure to certain stressors, seem to be the dominant factors
in development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in an individual.
Depression and PTSD are the most common psychiatric disorders among the
Hmong people who fled Laos during or after the “Secret War” in Laos.
Many Hmong people (and others) who fought in Laos (and throughout
Southeast Asia), or who were forced to escape from their native land
and make a new life under difficult circumstances, have endured exactly
these types of stressful situations. As a result, many first generation
immigrant Hmong have suffered from the effects of Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder without effective diagnoses, treatment or relief.
Compounding the problem are sometimes severe differences in the
traditional Hmong worldview and belief system and Western culture
and understanding of mental health. Helping Hmong people who are
suffering from PTSD receive appropriate treatment requires negotiating
cultural differences ranging from basic understanding of what it means
to be “sick” to defining patient and provider roles and allowing
treatments that are culturally relevant and effective.
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