How to Get Readjusted After Returning from Prison Camp
Visit a doctor., Tell her your history., Understand you may have long-term health effects., Join a support group., See a psychologist and psychiatrist., Appeal to your government., Apply for food stamps, housing, and welfare., Apply for disability...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Visit a doctor.
Even if you saw a doctor while coming out of the camp, the long-term effects of stress and near-starvation can be detrimental to your health.
One of your first steps should be visiting a doctor to have your health checked out., Discuss why you are visiting the doctor.
It's important that the doctor know your history, including where you were held, so she can look for specific conditions and diseases.
Take a friend or family member if you find the task of going alone too daunting. , Because of the lack of medical care in camps, small diseases can grow over time and wrack havoc on your health.
In addition, you can develop such conditions as nutritional deficiency syndromes, dysentery, and other disease.
The long-term effects of these types of camps are still being studied., While you may not be able to find a support group for people held in prison if you live in a rural area, many areas have prisoner of war support (POW) groups, which may welcome you even if you were never a soldier.You may be able to find a group through national POW organizations, such as American Ex-Prisoners of War,or through your local Veteran's Affairs Hospital. , Most people coming out of prison camps are going to suffer from psychological effects.
For instance, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common disorder in people who were confined to prison camps, especially if they were brutally treated.
A psychologist can diagnose your condition and start you on the path to healing, while a psychiatrist can determine if you need medications, such as an antidepressant, to help regain your life., Many times, governments will offer compensation for people held in prison camps in other countries, especially if you were a soldier.
You may be entitled to compensation, which can help you rebuild your life., When you first return from a prison camp, you need time to get back on your feet.
You can, of course, be looking for work, but until you are ready, you can use government resources to help you out.
To find out about resources in your area, dial 211 on any phone, and a representative will connect you with local resources.
You can also go on the website
211.org., If you are not able to work due to physical or mental health problems, than you can apply for disability.
If you were in the military, you can apply for medical disability from the military.
However, if you were not, you can apply for disability from Social Security.
You can apply online on the Social Security website or visit your local Social Security Office to get help with your application.This process can take up to half a year.
To help the process along, you'll need to gather certain documents if possible.
You'll need to prove how old you are with a birth certificate or other document, as well as have your Social Security Number on hand.
In addition, you'll need medical information, including any diagnosis you've been given (along with test results to back it up), the medications you're on, and the doctors you've been seeing.You'll also need any information about previous work, including W-2s, as well as information about your family, if the benefits affect them., When you first get out, you'll likely need to rely on friends and family.
Hopefully, you will have a supportive group of people who will let you stay with them until you can find your own income and place.
In addition to physical support, you will need their love and care to help you begin anew. , If you loved the work you did before, try finding a job in the same arena.
Just be sure to explain your absence from work, if possible, though you may need to find the right employer who will believe you and who is willing to work with you. , If you don't want to start out in the same field you were in, try getting more education.
You can apply for financial aid and work towards a new career to help you move away from your past.
If you don't have a high school diploma, you could work towards a GED, and then move up to a community college. , Another way to start on a new path is to work at starting-level positions in different industries until you find one that sticks.
As you make connections, better jobs may turn up., When you're down on your luck, you can visit thrift stores to buy what you need.
You can find clothes, linens, and even furniture to help get you started in a new apartment, all for a reasonable price. , What you've been through is a harrowing experience.
It is going to take time to readjust to a new life, maybe even years.
Don't expect everything to happen at once. -
Step 2: Tell her your history.
-
Step 3: Understand you may have long-term health effects.
-
Step 4: Join a support group.
-
Step 5: See a psychologist and psychiatrist.
-
Step 6: Appeal to your government.
-
Step 7: Apply for food stamps
-
Step 8: housing
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Step 9: and welfare.
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Step 10: Apply for disability.
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Step 11: Rely on friends and family.
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Step 12: Return to your old field.
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Step 13: Get more education.
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Step 14: Work odd jobs
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Step 15: and meet people.
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Step 16: Use thrift stores.
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Step 17: Understand it will take time to adjust.
Detailed Guide
Even if you saw a doctor while coming out of the camp, the long-term effects of stress and near-starvation can be detrimental to your health.
One of your first steps should be visiting a doctor to have your health checked out., Discuss why you are visiting the doctor.
It's important that the doctor know your history, including where you were held, so she can look for specific conditions and diseases.
Take a friend or family member if you find the task of going alone too daunting. , Because of the lack of medical care in camps, small diseases can grow over time and wrack havoc on your health.
In addition, you can develop such conditions as nutritional deficiency syndromes, dysentery, and other disease.
The long-term effects of these types of camps are still being studied., While you may not be able to find a support group for people held in prison if you live in a rural area, many areas have prisoner of war support (POW) groups, which may welcome you even if you were never a soldier.You may be able to find a group through national POW organizations, such as American Ex-Prisoners of War,or through your local Veteran's Affairs Hospital. , Most people coming out of prison camps are going to suffer from psychological effects.
For instance, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common disorder in people who were confined to prison camps, especially if they were brutally treated.
A psychologist can diagnose your condition and start you on the path to healing, while a psychiatrist can determine if you need medications, such as an antidepressant, to help regain your life., Many times, governments will offer compensation for people held in prison camps in other countries, especially if you were a soldier.
You may be entitled to compensation, which can help you rebuild your life., When you first return from a prison camp, you need time to get back on your feet.
You can, of course, be looking for work, but until you are ready, you can use government resources to help you out.
To find out about resources in your area, dial 211 on any phone, and a representative will connect you with local resources.
You can also go on the website
211.org., If you are not able to work due to physical or mental health problems, than you can apply for disability.
If you were in the military, you can apply for medical disability from the military.
However, if you were not, you can apply for disability from Social Security.
You can apply online on the Social Security website or visit your local Social Security Office to get help with your application.This process can take up to half a year.
To help the process along, you'll need to gather certain documents if possible.
You'll need to prove how old you are with a birth certificate or other document, as well as have your Social Security Number on hand.
In addition, you'll need medical information, including any diagnosis you've been given (along with test results to back it up), the medications you're on, and the doctors you've been seeing.You'll also need any information about previous work, including W-2s, as well as information about your family, if the benefits affect them., When you first get out, you'll likely need to rely on friends and family.
Hopefully, you will have a supportive group of people who will let you stay with them until you can find your own income and place.
In addition to physical support, you will need their love and care to help you begin anew. , If you loved the work you did before, try finding a job in the same arena.
Just be sure to explain your absence from work, if possible, though you may need to find the right employer who will believe you and who is willing to work with you. , If you don't want to start out in the same field you were in, try getting more education.
You can apply for financial aid and work towards a new career to help you move away from your past.
If you don't have a high school diploma, you could work towards a GED, and then move up to a community college. , Another way to start on a new path is to work at starting-level positions in different industries until you find one that sticks.
As you make connections, better jobs may turn up., When you're down on your luck, you can visit thrift stores to buy what you need.
You can find clothes, linens, and even furniture to help get you started in a new apartment, all for a reasonable price. , What you've been through is a harrowing experience.
It is going to take time to readjust to a new life, maybe even years.
Don't expect everything to happen at once.
About the Author
Richard Wilson
Writer and educator with a focus on practical organization knowledge.
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