Health Status
Vietnamese refugees as a whole, have endured countless tragedies both in their home country and in the process of leaving it. As a result, their experiences continue to shape the way they live when they arrive in a country of asylum. The health condition of these individuals is an important indicator of what they have endured.
In the 1980's, when an exodus from Vietnam by boat was more common, most of the Vietnamese refugees who survived that trip arrived in the United States considerably ill and emaciated, and the psychological effects of their crossing was tremendous. Many Vietnamese refugees still suffer with severe psychological distress and depression. Many elderly individuals suffer from Tourette's syndrome as a sort of delayed response to the traumas they experienced in their country (interview with Tom Doan). Additionally, suicide and attempted suicide are particularly high among Amerasians (people having one American parent and one Asian parent), who are often made to feel unwelcome in both Vietnam and the United States because of their mixed ethnicity (Bass, p. 171). The psychological health of all refugees, and Vietnamese refugees in particular, is a crucial part of their overall health, and must be directly addressed.
Physically speaking, Vietnamese refugees, like the majority of refugees, often arrive in the United States in severe need of medical attention, due to poor living conditions in general and in the camps, limited access to healthcare, injuries, starvation and abuse. The most common ailments among Vietnamese refugees include, TB, malaria, conjunctivitis, hepatitis B, malnutrition, trichinosis, leprosy, anemia, intestinal parasites, and mental health problems including PTSD, depression, anxiety and psychosis. Dental problems are also very common due to the lack of calcium in the Vietnamese diet (http://www.hslib.washington.edu/clinical/ethnomed/vietnamesecp).
Cultural Diversity
