Articles (2007-2008):

The refugees and their trauma

They have a life without a home. The refugees are unable to work, reliant on others for aid, in communities that often reject them.

Different races, religions, cultures but all have been forced to flee and to live together in a crowded place.

I used to be a psychotherapist for this kind of individuals back in Europe and I did it both in Romania and Czech Republic. In both countries I have met people who had similar stories, similar problems, and no matter where they came from.

A significant proportion of refugees have experienced severe trauma. Many have been tortured, refugees are victims of persecution.

Refugees often have little idea about where they are going. They are running away, not running to.

The severity of trauma experienced by refugees can vary widely.

Most refugees do not acquire psychiatric disorders-a testimony to the resilience of humans to stress and loss. However, epidemiological studies of refugees indicate higher-than-expected rates of psychopathology. Most of these disorders are those with which psychiatrists are familiar, mood, anxiety and substance disorders.

Refugees with various psychiatric disorders may manifest distrust, suspiciousness or ideas of reference. Typically, paranoid symptoms in refugees diminish with amelioration of the presenting disorder (whether a mood, anxiety or substance problem). Some isolated refugees may acquire the characteristics of paranoid personality during their later adult years.

Between five and thirty-five percent of the world’s refugees and asylums are estimated to have been tortured. Torture is a global public health problem, and the use of torture has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Early intervention in treating trauma symptoms is important in preventing future disability and prolonged suffering.

In the past, most refugees had the opportunity to integrate and become useful to their host societies. Today`s refugees often find themselves confined in overcrowded refugee camps and settlements which may be little more than a dead end, where human dignity is liable to be crushed and hope and regeneration seriously endangered.

I used to provide them psychological support, acting as a group psychotherapist, meeting the challenge to have together Muslims and Christians, people of opposite opinions and cultures but who were pushed into the conflict by people that had nothing in common with them. It was not their war and it was my job to make their life easier, to help them accept themselves and to pass through their drama.

I have found the best method in the group therapy and role playing and this helped me “lift their souls” as they have expressed themselves.

This kind of work requires dedication and time, but it opens a great perspective. You get to the point to value the small things and to hear stories that you may find unreal. There is a different universe, where you can find the drama, the tragedy, the crime, the life and death, the value of the basic things that are normal for us and most of all, you have the chance to value the life!

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