Examines the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) among unaccompanied Tibetan children who attended the residential school system in Dharamsala, India, known as the Tibetan Children Village (TCV). Study participants were sixty-eight 8-17-year-olds, whose parents were still alive and residing in China. The children related many disturbing stories about their life in Tibet and their journey to India, including witnessing torture and enduring imprisonment. Among the key findings were that: (1) 11.5 percent of the children met the criteria for PTSD diagnosis, and another 18 percent were suspected, on the basis of clinical impression, to be suffering from PTSD as well; (2) the estimated prevalence of MDD also was 11.5 percent, with another 13.1 percent suspected of MDD; and (3) more cases of full-criteria PTSD were identified among children who had arrived at TCV in the previous 18 months, compared with those who had been there longer. The findings suggest that at any given time at least 230 children were suffering from clinically significant PTSD and another 230 from clinically significant depression. The results of this study highlight the need for assessment and, consequently, treatment of youth who have been exposed to political turmoil.
