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Many Bosnians will most likely be suffering from some degree of post traumatic stress, ranging from mild to severe. Below is a bit of info about how your personality is affected by post traumatic stress. =Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)=

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. [|More about PTSD »]

Signs & Symptoms
People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. They may experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled. [|More about Signs & Symptoms »]

Treatment
Effective treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder are available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies that can help most people with PTSD and other anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. [|More about Treatment »]

Some Websites to see []

|jdbanhjnh||ssJN "Manawatu Standard"||sljh','');|Manawatu Standard; 09/03/2000, p2

THE needs of **//refugees//** in New Zealand are not being properly met, says a Massey University report. The report, by two researchers from the Albany-based College of Humanities and Social Sciences, details the findings of a study of **//Bosnian//** **//refugees//** resettled in Auckland and of Somali **//refugees//** in Christchurch. One of the researchers, Vladimir Madjar, surveyed a group of victims of the "ethnic cleansing" process -- young **//Bosnian//** men just released from Serb-run concentration camps. The men arrived in Auckland in late 1992 and early 1993. He found that, although the men were severely traumatised by their experiences, they received only routine medical screening in Auckland. Mr Madjar said the examination appeared more concerned with protecting New Zealanders from communicable diseases than with identifying the health needs of the **//Bosnians//**. There was apparently no assessment of the **//refugees//**' mental health and no counselling or follow-up treatment. "The consequences of severe trauma often manifest themselves years after events. So the lack of assessment and initial treatment has important implications, not only for the health needs of the **//refugees//**, but also for the longer-term costs to the health service and the community," Mr Madjar said. He said the limited help **//refugees//** received with language, employment and vocational training made it difficult for many to find work. Researcher Louise Humpage studied Somali secondary school students, parents and educators in Christchurch. The report said she found **//refugees//** -- many still "shell-shocked" -- were thrust into the community with "the minimum of help with resettlement". Ms Humpage said more funding should be made available for a comprehensive policy for education, not only of Somali **//refugees//** but of all New Zealanders. She said the only way to help **//refugees//** was to understand what it was like for them in the refugee camps, and to come to a new country with a foreign culture and language. "We do not seem to be very good at understanding people's differences," she said. "They can still be Kiwis, but with a different religion and different clothing."

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