The Exploration on Traumatic Experiences of North Korean Defectors

North Korea is a country that is ruled by a dictator and has a communist government. A communist government rules all the land and gives the same amount of money and supplies to all the people in the country. “Daily Necessities were obtained from the Public Distribution System (PDS)” (95,Hassig). The PDS shut down in 1995 because foreign aid was cut off expect for Pyongyang, the capital city. In rural areas, a lot of the children were born as “no-count” meaning that when they were born they weren’t counted as part of the existing society and didn’t have supplies given to them. North Korea was once a unified country with South Korea until September 9, 1948 when it became a separate country. From 1910 to 1945 Japan had ruled

When relocating to a new country, a refugee must get used to a new culture while suppressing their own. Not to mention, they have to live knowing that they left their family and friends behind in a dangerous environment. They are stuck with the burden of not knowing whether or not their relatives are still alive. Having to live day after day with these weights on your shoulder would be a detriment to anyone’s emotional health. In the documentary, God Grew Tired of Us, John Dau, a Syrian refugee came to America where he was able to live in an apartment, get a job, and receive an education. He went from living outdoors with no idea of what tomorrow will bring, to living in an air conditioned apartment with a chance to build a future, yet Dau still wasn’t happy. He found himself missing his homeland and the friends and family he had left behind. Refugees face a multitude of emotional stress when starting their new lives, everything has changed for them and sometimes it can be too much to handle. Knowing they left vulnerable loved ones behind, while they get to start anew can make it hard to enjoy their chance at happiness. Along with the distress that comes with being on your own, the different customs and societal values can be difficult on a refugee. They may need to abandon old traditions or even hide a part of their identity that wouldn’t be seen as “normal” in their new location. A constant sense of loneliness along with living in a new area where you don’t quite fit in can be emotionally stressful for

Refugees are people who crossed borders, fleeing due to problems related to race religion and nationality. While fleeing, refugees unknowingly carry many diseases due to lack of mental help and attention. When coming to a new country, refugees have no self-esteem to get jobs due to the language barrier. Refugees who flee their country and sacrifice everything are confident and strong willed with all the obstacles that come through their journey to start a new life. The long-term effects that a refugee experiences due to forced migration is Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Forced migration has a negative mental and physical affect on refugees.

America needs to work to remove the stereotype associated with refugees in order to get them the help they need and deserve. According to Psychology Today, in the 21st century, the number of terrorism related deaths that refugees were responsible for is 0. Moreover, research shows that highly

Through this book Demick establishes her deep knowledge of North Korea all the while following the lives of six defectors as they fought to survive. Demick shows us the struggle that these North Koreans face as their country is consumed by an economic crisis and a famine that killed one fifth of their population, while it also gave us a glimpse at what we never think of when we hear about this country. The collapse of North Korea’s economy caused factories to close and other jobs to be terminated. This led the citizens of North Korea to lose their only source of income and forced to find other means to support their families. It caused them to make sacrifices in order support their families and essentially learn to become selfish, to turn a blind eye to the ones around who were also suffering in order for themselves to survive.

In the Illness of Exile, it is reported that 90% of refugees suffer from depression, with post-traumatic stress disorder being overserve in approximately 50% (Moorehead,217). These mental illnesses highlighting the importance of addressing these issues before they become more severe. It is the job of clinicians to help address these issues and develop treatment plans that will best benefit the victims. Helping them to come to terms with their new notions of humanity. Clinicians must work diligently to prevent victims from succumbing to helplessness, by helping them accept its personal and social meaning.

The idea of displacement in The Happiest Refugee is demonstrated and explored through the thorough use of techniques such as;

intergenerational stress. Intergenerational stress created family conflict as children moved between their new culture in school and their family's native culture at home. However, the articles states that all refugees encounter a crisis of identity when they leave behind their communities, lifestyles, livelihoods, and ancestral places of worship. It is said that refugee teens may not have the traditional adult support on which to rely as they search for a sense of self, because adults with whom they live may be undergoing a similar search for self in their new host country. Since adults are anxious about finding jobs and housing and managing their own grief and cultural adjustment, which means they are unable to provide

The author states that we must build a family-centered approach to refugee mental health. To the majority of people it might seem obvious that when it comes to treatment, it should not be one size fits all. Yet that seems to be what mental health professionals are doing with the majority of refugees.

They are forced to leave everything behind, which can leave many empty holes that are unresolved. Most refugees have experienced horrendous events from killings, to torture, to the loss of loved ones. Moving to a new area with all new people, languages, and homes can make living life very difficult. When a refugee experiences all the losses of being forced to flee home, their whole lives turn inside out. Many refugees sometimes wish they could be back home, even if there is a war, over being away from home in an unfamiliar place. As said in Inside Out and Back Again, “No one would believe me but at times I would chose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama” (Lai 195). Moving to a whole new area was like a sacrifice of so much. You have to leave your home and your friends. Leaving just put a huge toll on many refugees. A refugee named Amela stated in the article Children of War, “Sometimes I wish I’d stayed there, watching the war, rather than being here, safe, but without friends” (Brice 26). But, the destination isn’t the only struggle, the trip to this new place is just as difficult. Many refugees take these dangerous trips that lack lots of the necessities that are needed. “We are told to sip water only when we must so our bodies can stop needing” (Lai 73). Many refugees are also judged by where they came from, what they look like, and who they are. No refugee ever has it

Acculturation and integration is often a stressful process for both individuals and families (Lacroix, 2003). Therefore as social workers, it is vital to recognize and understand the history, traditions, values, family structures and cultures of refugees, as those deeply rooted experiences shape and alter their lives (Thomas Bernard & Moriah, 2007).

Refugees are innocent human beings who have been forced to escape their homes. As they face mental, physical and emotional trauma, they face and confront astounding obstacles during their escape from their corrupted country.

Refugee residents have health needs that differ from native-born residents in Multnomah County. Often these health needs are identified during the mandatory health screening that is required as part of the resettlement process. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides a protocol for these screenings. According to Dr. Paul Leung, Director of the Intercultural Psychiatric Program at the Oregon Health Sciences University, refugees experience higher rates of anxiety, stress, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse, and thoughts of suicide compared to the general public. Moreover, according to the MCHD, more than one third of refugees identify having been near death prior to resettlement. One in three has lost a family member or friend and nearly 70% have lived through combat and/or torture. Furthermore, according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, refugees experience a wide range of health issues including infectious diseases like tuberculosis and intestinal parasites, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, other STD’s, diabetes, hypertension, and maternal and child concerns. The Multnomah County Health Department Report Card on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2011) includes refugees of

The contextual approach can help psychologist put refugee stressors in a context through variety of systemic levels. As it is showed in the Figure 1, refugees can experience stressors

Hyeonseo Lee gave a presentation on TED Talk entitled, “My Escape from North Korea”, summarizing about her life in North Korea. She was born and raised there and sing patriotic songs. All the history books told her that North Korea was the best country in the world. As she got older, a famine struck North Korea in the mid-1990’s. Although, she never experienced starvation, she witnessed the events first hand. This was the pushing point for Hyeonseo, who decided to leave North Korea. Due to China and North Korea’s stringent border policies and the Chinese government immigration policy, the life of a North Korean refugee is challenging and extremely risky. They risk being deported back to the very country that they escaped from. There are reports and stories about the violation of human rights and labor camps in North Korea. She would live in China for ten years before moving to South Korea. Hyeonseo was forced to help her family escape from North Korea. The regime caught Hyeonseo for sending money to her family. Lee’s family to be relocated by the order of the North Korean government. She needed to smuggle them through China to a South Korean embassy in Laos. Unfortunately, Hyeonseo Lee’s story won’t be the last we hear about the abysmal conditions in North Korea. There are, potentially millions more, stories detailing the humanitarian disaster in the country and we must take steps to prepare for the eventual collapse of the country.