Action Alerts /Applaud PRI for reporting on Middle Eastern refugees, PTSD

Long after a war is over, for refuges the mental wounds still need healing. But sometimes mental health stigma can deter one from seeking treatment. PRI reporter Shuka Kalantari covers this issue in the story "Mental health officials try to help Middle Eastern refugees with PTSD."

The Middle Eastern population is on the rise in California, but some immigrants in need of therapy are resistant due to stigmatizing beliefs about mental health in their culture. For example, one woman in the story who used the alias Jasmine, is from Iraq and suffers from depression. Insurgents killed her father in a drive-by shooting. She doesn't want to use her name, nor have people know about her diagnosis out of fear of being alienated in her San Jose community.

“There’s a tendency in our culture to underestimate that and say, ‘OK, that was passed. Now we are in a free society. We have to live our lives. We have to buy a car and get a job and just be normal,’” said Azin Izadifar, an Iranian refugee diagnosed with PTSD. She was tortured in an Iranian prison for three years.

Kalantari Reports the Centers for Survivors of Torture is one organization offering free therapy services to refugees.
PRI should be commended for covering a story that is informative and helpful to listeners.