Katrina Brain or Neurocognitive Effects of Toxins?????

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

The following article is disturbing to me. Are they dubbing the

neurocognitive effects of the toxins the children of New Orleans are exposed to

as only

stress and psychological illness? No doubt, stress plays a major role on

mental/physical health. But so do some very powerful toxins.

Much of what is written within the below story, is exactly what those of us,

who have been exposed to an excessive amount of mold and it's toxins

complain of as early onset symptoms. Early onset. So what is next for the

children

of New Orleans?

To quote Carstens, moderator of _Sickbuildings _

(mailto:Sickbuildings ) in the fall of 2005,

" Carstens, Moderator of Sickbuildings, a 1,700-member support group of

average citizens, who, according to the ACAAI and AAAAI, are experiencing

" presumed " debilitating mold illnesses - said, " The CDC keeps saying more

studies are needed to get a clear picture of the health effects related to

mycotoxins. I am not aware of any new CDC initiated studies of the matter or

even

any tracking of these illnesses. Nor have I seen any warning to the public

regarding the potential serious health effects of inhaling mycotoxins. I guess

the burden of proof will fall on the children of New Orleans. "

Key phrases with the following article:

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

problems post-Katrina "

" prevalence of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions rose

to 68% in parents or caregivers of children post-Katrina "

" Patients suffered from insomnia, difficulty concentrating,

memory deficits, and more "

" '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), "

" included anxiety, diffuse anger, guilt, and health worries " ,

" 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 "

" Since Katrina, Dr. Sakauye has moved to the University of Tennessee Health

Science Center in Memphis. "

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.

Below is another article of physical/mental illness in Mississippi children:

_Attending to Sick Children Along a Gulf Coast Still in Tatters: A

Conversation With Persharon M. Dixon - New York Times_

(http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/science/21conv.html?_r=1 & ref=us & oref=slogin)

Q. What sorts of health problems are you seeing among the children you’ve

been treating?

A. _Asthma_

(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/ast\

hma/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) , _allergies_

(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/all\

ergies/ind

ex.html?inline=nyt-classifier) , wheezing, respiratory illnesses. You hear a

lot about the FEMA trailers having mold.

Q. Why, more than a year after the storm, are you encountering so many

_mental health_

(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/men\

talhealthanddisorders/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier)

problems?

A. Some of it is _post-traumatic stress_

(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/pos\

ttraumaticstressdisorder/index.html

?inline=nyt-classifier) . For many families, the storm touched off a

succession of disasters that keep continuing.

This is an American tragedy.

Sharon Kramer