Due to the increasing number of refugees settling in Western societies, there is great concern toward the detrimental consequences on mental health and the overall well-being of these individuals. These individuals who seek asylum in other counties aim for a better quality of life elsewhere, however they become prone to such mental illnesses as depression, anxiety disorders as well as trauma and stressor related disorders. Refugees, especially those coming from war-torn nations, become more susceptible to trauma and stressor related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to not only their past experiences but also to stressors such as acculturation. With a focus on Somalian refugees, the relationship between mental illnesses
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PTSD is a mental disorder categorised under the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) as a trauma and stressor-related disorder. However previous to the updated version of the DSM, PTSD was categorised under anxiety disorders. Thus, PTSD can still be considered an anxiety disorder as those illnesses which are categorised under this grouping have the features of excessive fear, anxiety and related behavioural disturbances, which PTSD patients tend to possess, as shown by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2013). However, drawing from the updated, fifth edition of the DSM (APA, 2013), PTSD is categorised under the trauma and stressor related disorders which are described as disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is listed explicitly as diagnostic criteria where in most cases, symptoms can be well understood within an anxiety or fear-based context. Other clinical characteristics of distress in trauma and stressor-related disorders include externalising aggressive symptoms, anhedonic and dysphoric symptoms, and/or dissociative symptoms which are associated with the exposure to catastrophic or aversive events (APA,
PTSD is a mental disorder categorised under the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) as a trauma and stressor-related disorder. However previous to the updated version of the DSM, PTSD was categorised under anxiety disorders. Thus, PTSD can still be considered an anxiety disorder as those illnesses which are categorised under this grouping have the features of excessive fear, anxiety and related behavioural disturbances, which PTSD patients tend to possess, as shown by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2013). However, drawing from the updated, fifth edition of the DSM (APA, 2013), PTSD is categorised under the trauma and stressor related disorders which are described as disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is listed explicitly as diagnostic criteria where in most cases, symptoms can be well understood within an anxiety or fear-based context. Other clinical characteristics of distress in trauma and stressor-related disorders include externalising aggressive symptoms, anhedonic and dysphoric symptoms, and/or dissociative symptoms which are associated with the exposure to catastrophic or aversive events (APA,