Although it’s true that you never truly know what’s happening in someone else’s mind or life unless you can walk a mile in their shoes, this might be especially true with immigrants. Many immigrants to the US come from situations so traumatic that they enter the United States with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other mental health challenges that warrant diagnosis and treatment.
The National Institute of Mental Health says this of PTSD:
When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to prepare to defend against the danger or to avoid it. This “fight-or-flight” response is a healthy reaction meant to protect a person from harm. But in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this reaction is changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re no longer in danger.
PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.
If you are new to the United States, or if you have welcomed a relative or loved one to the US from another country, you may be suffering from PTSD after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events in your homeland.
Where there is value in seeking diagnosis and treatment simply from the perspective of personal health and wellbeing, there may also be benefits to being diagnosed while you are going through the process of becoming a US citizen, seeking asylum in the US, or going through any testing or qualification process while pursuing an education or employment in the US.
If you are in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area, and you would like to arrange for a PTSD evaluation for yourself or someone else, please contact us. And if you’re outside the greater Cleveland area and would like a referral for evaluation and/or treatment near you, we can help with that, too. Our services are confidential, and we are sometimes able to help patients seek financial assistance for their treatment plans.