Millions of people flee their country every year to escape persecution and conflict, seeking asylum as refugees (Amnesty International Australia 2011). Many refugees experience and develop mental illnesses because they have experienced or witnessed events such as rape, torture, war, imprisonment, murder, physical injury, and genocide, before fleeing their homes (Nicholl & Thompson 2004). Refugees are now accessing mental health services for treatment of PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) defined by the DSM-IV-TR is "characterized by reliving an extremely traumatic event accompanied by symptoms of increased arousal and avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma" (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 2000). There are many impacts and effects that this disorder has on refugees that require treatment, interventions, education and the need to understand the cultural sensitivities of individuals. The DSM-IV-TR requires six criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. Criterion A defines the traumatic event, including any specificities relating to the event itself (Criterion A1) and the response to the event (Criterion A2). Criterion B refers to symptoms of reliving the trauma, criterion C refers to avoidance of memories and numbing of general reactivity to the event, and criterion D refers to persistent symptoms due to increased hyperarousal. Criterion E requires symptoms to be present for more than 1 month, while criterion F concerns disorders that cause discomfort and impairment of areas of functioning (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 2000). It is classified as acute if symptoms last less than three months and if symptoms occur beyond 3 months...... middle of paper ......ntary Medicine, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 801-806. National Institute of Mental Health 2009, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), viewed 18 August 2011, .Nicholl, C & Thompson, A 2004, 'Psychological treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in refugee adults : a review of the current state of psychological therapies', Journal of Mental Health, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 351-362.Shives, L 2005, Basic Concepts of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia.Smith, M & Segal, J 2011, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), viewed 17 August 2011.Tiziani , A 2009, Harvard Nursing Guide to Medicines, 8th edition, Elsevier, NSW.