The Infinite Mind

A Legacy of the Storm: Depression and Suicide

"New Orleans is experiencing what appears to be a near epidemic of depression and post-traumatic stress disorders, one that mental health experts say is of an intensity rarely seen in this country. It is contributing to a suicide rate that state and local officials describe as close to triple what it was before Hurricane Katrina struck and the levees broke 10 months ago..."

Gina Barbe of New Orleans says she has been crying almost every day.

By SUSAN SAULNY

NEW ORLEANS, June 20 — Last Tuesday in the French Quarter, Sergeant Glaudi's small staff was challenged by a man who strode straight into the roaring currents of the Mississippi River, hoping to drown. As the water threatened to suck him under, the man used the last of his strength to fight the rescuers, refusing to be saved.

"He said he'd lost everything and didn't want to live anymore," Sergeant Glaudi said.

The man was counseled by the crisis unit after being pulled from the river against his will. Others have not been so lucky.

"These things come at me fast and furious," Sergeant Glaudi said. "People are just not able to handle the situation here."

Post-Katrina stress still weighs on New Orleans
Up to one in three survivors have untreated PTSD

Reuters
By Kim Dixon

Up to a third of those who lived through the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and cannot find treatment, mental health professionals said on Wednesday.

Katrina's aftermath tough on mental health 
New Orleans' coroner says hurricane-related stress ‘is a recipe for suicide’ - Associated Press

"Public health needs . . . very, very large" - Donna Shalala

"  ... Katrina added thousands more to the ranks of the poor and uninsured. The psychological stress and trauma of the past three weeks will lead to increased demand for mental health services. Many evacuees are newly impoverished and have chronic health care needs that will place additional, costly demands on the care systems in the areas to which they have located. Some 400,000 jobs have been lost; many who are out of work have lost not only their source of income but also their health insurance. Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, pharmacies and other facilities have been damaged or destroyed. Underserved populations that already had substantial health disparities are now at risk of falling even further behind the rest of America.

A national response to this health crisis is weeks overdue..."

- Donna Shalala, fomer secretary of Health and Human Services, Washington Post op-ed 

Important Disaster Mental Health Resources Now Available:

From the National Center for PTSD and The Terrorism and Disaster Branch of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress:

• Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide  Just released update for Hurricane Katrina. The most authoritative source for treating trauma from initial contact, through stabilization and connecting with services. (47 page PDF file - click here to download) 
• Fact sheets with practical tips for parents, educators and others to help their children after a disaster: Pre-school Children (2 pages PDF)  School Age Children (2 pages PDF) Adolescents  (2 pages PDF)
• More information and resources from the National Center for PTSD are also available on-line.

Hurricane Katrina Resource Guide - Comprehensive list of web sites, contacts and phone numbers compiled by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (32 page PDF file - click here to download)

Depression, PTSD and substance abuse: what can be expected?

Federal studies found increased depression and PTSD and increased substance abuse in the aftermath of 9/11.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse

First reports of untreated addictions presenting problems on Gulf Coast in the wake of Katrina.