Citation

Sullivan G, Vasterling JJ, Han X, Tharp AT, Davis T, Deitch EA, Constans JI. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 2013; 201(2): 161-166.

Affiliation

*VA South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock; †Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock; ‡Psychology Service and National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, MA; §Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, MA; ∥Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; ¶Department of Management, University of New Orleans, LA; #VA Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, New Orleans; and **Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827f636d

PMID

23364127

Abstract

To investigate predisaster mental illness as a risk factor of poor postdisaster mental health outcomes, veterans with (n = 249) and without (n = 250) preexisting mental illness residing in the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina were surveyed after Katrina and screened for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic. Logistic regression examined the association between preexisting mental disorders and positive screens after the hurricane, adjusting for demographics and exposure to hurricane-related stressors. The odds of screening positive for any new mental disorder were 6.8 times greater for those with preexisting mental illness compared with those without preexisting mental illness. Among those with preexisting PTSD, the odds of screening positive for any new mental illness were 11.9 times greater; among those with schizophrenia, 9.1 times greater; and among those with affective disorders, 4.4 times greater. Persons with preexisting mental illnesses, particularly PTSD, should be considered a high-risk group for poor outcomes after a disaster.

Language: en