Citation

Smith EM, North CS, McCool RE, Shea JM. Am. J. Psychiatry 1990; 147(2): 202-206.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2301660

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of four psychiatric disorders--posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and alcohol abuse/dependence--in survivors of a jet plane crash into a hotel. Forty-six subjects were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule/Disaster Supplement within 4-6 weeks of the event. More than half of the subjects met criteria for a psychiatric disorder after the disaster. More than two-thirds of the cases of acute postdisaster psychiatric disorders were predicted by identifying the subjects who had predisaster psychiatric histories. Predisaster psychiatric disorder predicted postdisaster psychopathology with a sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 90%.

Language: en