The incidence of serious mental illnesses among Hurricane Katrina survivors doubled within 5 to 8 months after the storm, according to a telephone survey by epidemiologists at Harvard Medical School in Boston. But the study found a surprising absence of suicidal tendencies among the survivors.
The researchers interviewed 1043 survivors between 19 January and 31 March about their post-Katrina experiences and documented that 30% had mental-health problems, half of them serious--a doubling of the rate seen in a face-to-face survey conducted between 2001 and 2003.
Problems such as anxiety and nightmares among New Orleans residents (see chart) were more frequent than among hurricane survivors elsewhere. Project director Ronald Kessler said the findings show that many "have a level of [mental] disorder that is going to interfere with the rebuilding of their lives." Most (84.6%) had lost their housing and income, and 36.3% had experienced severe physical hardship, including hunger. Of the 40.6% who experienced five or more stressors, such as property loss, physical hardship, or losing a loved one, close to half were in the bottom 25% of income level.
CREDIT: SOURCE: KESSLER ET AL., MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUICIDALITY AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA
But despite the problems, suicidal tendencies had decreased since the storm: Only 0.4% reported such thoughts compared to 3.6% in the earlier survey. The researchers attribute this to a sense of personal growth following the disaster. For example, 88.5% reported developing a deeper sense of meaning or purpose in life, and 83.4% were confident in their ability to rebuild their lives.
Scientists will continue to track the group over the next few years.
