Volume 38 · Number 2
FEBRUARY 2008
Did the Prevalence of PTSD Following Hurricane Katrina Match a Rapid Needs Assessment Prediction? A Template for Future Public Planning After Large-Scale Disasters
By Richard Dalton, MD; Michael S. Scheeringa, MD, MPH; Charles H. Zeanah, MD
Needs assessments are generally developed immediately following disasters to estimate the number of individuals who will develop serious mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), so that necessary treatment resources can be predicted. Following Hurricane Katrina, the authors estimated that approximately 40% of first responders and those most impacted by Katrina would develop PTSD and other mental health problems in the year following the storm. Further, they estimated that among groups of individuals who were less directly impacted, 5% to 30% of individuals would develop PTSD. A review of 10 post-Katrina surveys conducted in New Orleans and southern Mississippi suggests that the needs assessment predictions were in the conservative range. The authors discuss the findings and their ramifications for future need assessments.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Richard Dalton, MD, is with the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana. Michael S. Scheeringa, MD, MPH, and Charles H. Zeanah, MD, are with the Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center.
Address correspondence to Richard Dalton, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, 1440 Canal St, TB 52, New Orleans, LA 70116; e-mail rdalton@tulane.edu; fax 504-988-4264.
Dr. Dalton, Dr. Scheeringa, and Dr. Zeanah have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
- Develop a needs assessment following a disaster.
- Identify specific groups of individuals who are likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a disaster.
- Describe the percentage of individuals within specific groups who develop PTSD following disasters such as hurricanes.
To Human Resilience
Jan Fawcett, MD
Long-term Psychiatric Consequences of Hurricane Katrina
Harold M. Ginzburg, MD, JD, MPH
Psychiatric Disorders among Transported Hurricane Evacuees: Acute-phase Findings in a Large Receiving Shelter Site
Carol S. North, MD, MPE;
Richard V. King, PhD;
Raymond L. Fowler, MD, FACEP;
Peter Polatin, MD, MPH;
Rebecca P. Smith, MD;
H. Alan LaGrone, MD, PhD;
David Tyler, MD;
G. Luke Larkin, MD, MS, MSPH;
Paul E. Pepe, MD, MPH
First Responder Culture: Implications for Mental Health Professionals Providing Services Following a Natural Disaster
Mindy Kronenberg, PhD;
Howard J. Osofsky, MD, PhD;
Joy D. Osofsky, PhD;
Michele Many, LCSW;
Melissa Hardy, GSW;
James Arey, PhD, LPC
A Review of Mental Health Issues as a Result of Hurricane Katrina
Mordecai N. Potash, MD;
Daniel K. Winstead, MD
Katrina Survivors Relocated to Oklahoma: A Tale of Two Cities
Phebe Tucker, MD;
Betty Pfefferbaum, MD, JD;
Qaiser Khan, MPH;
M. Jan Young, MD;
Christopher E. Aston, PhD;
Janell Holmes, BS;
Kim A. Coon, EdD;
Jamie Thompson
New Orleans Medical Students post-Katrina — an Assessment of Psychopathology and Anticipatory Transference of Resilience
Harold M. Ginzburg, MD, JD, MPH;
David J. Bateman
Physician-Psychiatrists’ Role in Disaster Response Efforts
Nicholas G. Pejic, MD;
Harold M. Ginzburg, MD, JD, MPH
