USPSYCH: 'Katrina Brain' Pervasive After Hurricane

[Guest guest]

USPSYCH: 'Katrina Brain' Pervasive After Hurricane

By Jeff Minerd, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today

Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University

of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

November 22, 2006

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 22 -- In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina,

patients here suffered from a generalized anxiety disorder dubbed

" Katrina Brain, " a psychiatrist reported here.

As residents of New Orleans struggled to live in a city with a

destroyed infrastructure -- no electricity, no drinkable water, no

phone service, no mail -- there were mental health consequences, said

Sakauye, M.D.

Patients suffered from insomnia, difficulty concentrating, memory

deficits, and more, he said. At the time Katrina struck, Dr. Sakauye

was at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center here.

The traditional stress reaction to the danger and death dealt out by

the storm was also a significant factor, Dr. Sakauye said at the U.S.

Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress meeting. Since Katrina, Dr.

Sakauye has moved to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center

in Memphis.

" 'Katrina Brain' became a local term describing the fact that we

couldn't remember something as simple as a phone number after the

hurricane, " Dr. Sakauye said. " Our brains weren't working right. "

For most New Orleans residents, symptoms did not rise to the level of

post-traumatic stress disorder, but they did indicate generalized

anxiety disorder (GAD), Dr. Sakauye said. Additional symptoms -- all

in line with GAD -- included anxiety, diffuse anger, guilt, and health

worries, Dr. Sakauye said.

Other data indicating widespread GAD included a 61% increase to crisis

helpline calls in the months following Katrina, despite the fact that

less than half of the population of New Orleans remained, Dr. Sakayue

said.

About 44% of children in New Orleans had symptoms of new mental health

problems post-Katrina, Dr. Sakauye said. Furthermore, the prevalence

of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions rose to 68%

in parents or caregivers of children post-Katrina, Dr. Sakauye said.

The few psychiatrists who remained in New Orleans -- fewer than 30 in

all -- could do little to help, Dr. Sakauye said. Their efforts were

stymied by the lack of electricity and phone service. Furthermore,

most of their patients were no longer employed and didn't have health

insurance, he said. There were few offices available, few houses, and

almost no psychiatric beds available.

Public health officials can learn lessons in disaster preparedness

from Katrina, Dr. Sakauye said. An effective plan to maintain mental

health care in the event of a natural disaster should include the

following elements:

* How to fill prescriptions when the usual pharmacy system fails. In

New Orleans, prescriptions were filled on an " honor " basis, which led

to abuse of the system by those seeking controlled substances, Dr.

Sakauye said.

* How doctors can communicate with patients when phone and electrical

service are no longer available. In New Orleans, some doctors found

that despite their cell phone service being unavailable, they could

still communicate with patients on their cell phones via text

messaging, Dr. Sakauye said.

* How to ensure access to medical records when patients have been

evacuated to a new location. Ideally, electronic backup should be

easily available and located in a secondary location, Dr. Sakauye

said.

Finally, a plan to ensure the safety of pets may be important,

especially for the elderly. Many elderly residents of New Orleans

refused to evacuate because they could not take their pets with them.

Many of these residents died with their beloved animals, Dr. Sakauye

said.

[Guest guest]

I think that a lot of middle class people are in denial about the reasons

for

the fears poor people suffer when they get sick. America today is a very

scary place for

people who get sick even under the best of conditions, unless you are

independently

wealthy. For people who depend on health 'insurance' or worse, people who

don't have any health

'insurance' at all, its a very different place.

This comes as a shock to people who think that everything is hunky dory when

it happens to them.

because it shows the lie to a lot of assumptions we make about our future as

a nation.

You know, since I was sick for the first time, and almost ended up homeless,

I've realized that the US is sort of

becoming like Third World countries in that the less of a safety net you

have,

the more the law of the jungle predominates, and that law is

" when you get sick or weak you die "

If you watch nature shows you will always notice that the weak animals try

their best to look strong, and that

a sick animal, meaning, one that is visibly sick, is picked off in seconds

by predators, who are always waiting to

scoop up the unhealthy ones.

No wonder getting sick causes post traumatic stress disorder as well as mold

illness...

The two seem to go hand in hand. Unless, that is, you have the resources to

weather these storms, which

is probably less common than we think. For every one of us who has a

computer and the knowledge to use it, there

are thousands of poor people who don't. They just get sick and lose

everything and never find out what or why.

Lives are ruined, families destroyed, kids go into foster care, huge medical

bills are created, homes lost to banks or the wrecking ball.

On 11/24/06, snk1955@... <snk1955@...> wrote:

>

> USPSYCH: 'Katrina Brain' Pervasive After Hurricane

>

> By Jeff Minerd, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today

> Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University

> of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

> November 22, 2006

>

> NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 22 -- In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina,

> patients here suffered from a generalized anxiety disorder dubbed

> " Katrina Brain, " a psychiatrist reported here.

>

> As residents of New Orleans struggled to live in a city with a

> destroyed infrastructure -- no electricity, no drinkable water, no

> phone service, no mail -- there were mental health consequences, said

> Sakauye, M.D.

>

> Patients suffered from insomnia, difficulty concentrating, memory

> deficits, and more, he said. At the time Katrina struck, Dr. Sakauye

> was at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center here.

>

> The traditional stress reaction to the danger and death dealt out by

> the storm was also a significant factor, Dr. Sakauye said at the U.S.

> Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress meeting. Since Katrina, Dr.

> Sakauye has moved to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center

> in Memphis.

>

> " 'Katrina Brain' became a local term describing the fact that we

> couldn't remember something as simple as a phone number after the

> hurricane, " Dr. Sakauye said. " Our brains weren't working right. "

>

> For most New Orleans residents, symptoms did not rise to the level of

> post-traumatic stress disorder, but they did indicate generalized

> anxiety disorder (GAD), Dr. Sakauye said. Additional symptoms -- all

> in line with GAD -- included anxiety, diffuse anger, guilt, and health

> worries, Dr. Sakauye said.

>

> Other data indicating widespread GAD included a 61% increase to crisis

> helpline calls in the months following Katrina, despite the fact that

> less than half of the population of New Orleans remained, Dr. Sakayue

> said.

>

> About 44% of children in New Orleans had symptoms of new mental health

> problems post-Katrina, Dr. Sakauye said. Furthermore, the prevalence

> of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions rose to 68%

> in parents or caregivers of children post-Katrina, Dr. Sakauye said.

>

> The few psychiatrists who remained in New Orleans -- fewer than 30 in

> all -- could do little to help, Dr. Sakauye said. Their efforts were

> stymied by the lack of electricity and phone service. Furthermore,

> most of their patients were no longer employed and didn't have health

> insurance, he said. There were few offices available, few houses, and

> almost no psychiatric beds available.

>

> Public health officials can learn lessons in disaster preparedness

> from Katrina, Dr. Sakauye said. An effective plan to maintain mental

> health care in the event of a natural disaster should include the

> following elements:

>

> * How to fill prescriptions when the usual pharmacy system fails. In

> New Orleans, prescriptions were filled on an " honor " basis, which led

> to abuse of the system by those seeking controlled substances, Dr.

> Sakauye said.

>

> * How doctors can communicate with patients when phone and electrical

> service are no longer available. In New Orleans, some doctors found

> that despite their cell phone service being unavailable, they could

> still communicate with patients on their cell phones via text

> messaging, Dr. Sakauye said.

>

> * How to ensure access to medical records when patients have been

> evacuated to a new location. Ideally, electronic backup should be

> easily available and located in a secondary location, Dr. Sakauye

> said.

>

> Finally, a plan to ensure the safety of pets may be important,

> especially for the elderly. Many elderly residents of New Orleans

> refused to evacuate because they could not take their pets with them.

> Many of these residents died with their beloved animals, Dr. Sakauye

> said.

>

>