Effects of Torture & Other Traumatic Experiences

If you notice that the person you wish to refer is showing one or more of the following effects (or they/their parents tell you about one or more of these symptoms), then you should consider referring them to Foundation House:

Adults (only)

• Crying a lot
• Intense/persistent emotional distress
• Persistent lack of expression of positive emotions
• Aggressive behaviour or persistent anger
• Fears of going out or other fears
• Severe social withdrawal or appears uncommunicative
• Repeated expressions of hopelessness
• On alert for things going wrong
• Intense/persistent emotional distress
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Poor self-care, household care
• Persistent physical ailments with no medical cause
• Not responding to needs of children, emotional distance
• Persistent and severe sleep difficulties
• Signs of family conflict
• Appears disoriented, incoherent or confused
• Expresses bizarre or illogical beliefs
• Expresses threat to harm self or others

Children & Adolescents

• Crying a lot
• Intense/persistent emotional distress
• Persistent lack of expression of positive emotions
• Aggressive behaviour or persistent anger
• Fears of going out or other fears
• Severe social withdrawal or appears uncommunicative
• Overreacting to noises in environment
• Peculiar appearance, behaviour or speech
• Risk-taking behaviour
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Expresses threat to harm self or others
• Sleep problems (too much or too little)
• Nightmares
• Re-enactment of a traumatic event in play
• Lots of worries
• Out of control behaviour
• Bed-wetting
• Frequent tantrums
• Not wanting to go to school or infrequent attendance
• Persistent headaches or other aches
• Failure to thrive
• Very clingy behaviour