Psychiatric symptoms in refugee families from South East Asia: therapeutic challenges

The effects of the Vietnam War are still being felt nearly 15 years after the fall of Saigon. Almost 130,000 Vietnamese refugees have immigrated to Canada in the intervening years. The combined effects of war, escape, internment in refugee camps, and the problems of social adjustment to a new language and culture have resulted in a number of stress-induced psychiatric problems. Refugees frequently suffer from depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Yet because of their cultural attitudes towards mental illness, many are reluctant to take advantage of mental health services. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the stresses experienced by Vietnamese refugees. Proper care of psychiatrically disturbed refugees involves careful assessment of personal and family history and arrangement of support systems in the host country that include people from their ethnic group.