Several months ago, I wrote:
One of the least-talked about consequence of Hurricane Katrina is the psychological damage many New Orleanians suffered....For many victims with whom I've spoken, they relive the event when they retell the story."
The unaddressed psychological scars left by Katrina may be the most pervasive lingering effect. People are rebuilding, or moving on, but will be left with their memories of the horrific days during and immediately following the storm. A recently published article in The Journal of the American Medical Association confirms my anecdotes. Though JAMA is subscription only, Time.com has a nice article summarizing the article, and discussing the broader problem of mental health treatment for Katrina survivors:
A February survey of people living in temporary FEMA-subsidized housing found that more than two-thirds of female caregivers reported feelings of anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders. As many as half of the children they were caring for were suffering from mental disorders of their own.
The health care infrastructure in New Orleans, fragile before Katrina, has completely collapsed. Mental health care is an even lower priority for a city just struggling to maintain order.
But there are only a total of 20 psychiatric beds available in the few New Orleans hospitals that have reopened, compared to about 300 before the storm.
And the cascading effect of mental health problems on physical health is also manifesting itself:
More troubling, perhaps, is a 25% jump in the mortality rate, including a threefold increase in the suicide rate -- a conservative estimate since many self-inflicted deaths are classified as accidental.
The Senate once had a champion for mental health issues. Is anyone paying attention today?