Suicide, Depression Skyrocket In Katrina Trailer Parks

Main Category: Depression
Also Included In: Bipolar;  Mental Health;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 07 Sep 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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One year after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, one of the nation's largest emergency response agencies has found that survivors living in "temporary" trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi are 15 times more likely to take their own lives than people in the rest of the United States.

The survey by California-based International Medical Corps, a veteran of more than two decades of overseas relief operations that responded domestically for the first time with Katrina, also found that the rate of depression among those residing in the trailer parks is seven times the national average.

International Medical Corps released its survey of nearly 400 trailer-park residents to mark the one-year anniversary of Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people and displaced 2.5 million. CEO Nancy Aossey said the survey shows clearly that health care in temporary trailer parks in Louisiana and Mississippi is "in a state of crisis."

The survey found that basic humanitarian needs, such as food, water and shelter have been addressed. But little progress on long-term solutions has been made in the areas of permanent housing, medical care, mental health services, security, and transportation.

Key findings:

-- 50 percent of respondents met criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, more than seven times the U.S. national rate.

-- Since displacement, reported suicides are 15 times the rate in the rest of Louisiana and suicide attempts are 79 times greater.

-- 70 percent of adults who were not able to access medical care cited financial difficulties as their main reason.

-- 56 percent of study participants did not have any form of health insurance.

-- 21 percent of respondents reported no form of security in their trailer park community.

-- 49 percent of respondents did not feel safe walking in their community at night.

-- Of respondents with children, 45 percent did not feel safe letting their children play in the trailer parks during the day.

In the aftermath of the hurricane, IMC dispatched two rapid response teams to the area to help assess the needs of survivors. Following its initial response, which addressed the immediate disaster-related needs of those living in shelters throughout Louisiana, IMC formalized plans for three high-impact programs: primary health care support, psychosocial support, and direct assistance in the form of a small grants initiative for community-based organizations responding to the disaster.

For a copy of the complete report, please visit IMC's website at http://www.imcworldwide.org.

International Medical Corps
http://www.imcworldwide.org

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