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In Haiti, mental aftershocks could be far-reachingBy Elizabeth Landau, CNN
January 15, 2010 8:42 a.m. EST
(CNN) -- As Haitians struggle to recover from the devastation of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, mental health experts caution that the most severe psychological effects won't take form until individuals' situations stabilize.
Feelings of confusion, fear, agitation, grief and anger that surround a large-scale traumatic event such as the Haiti earthquake give way to more pronounced psychological disorders once people's basic human needs are taken care of, experts say.
"Once the initial resources are in, when actually most people are going to start feel out of danger, is when the psychological aftereffects are going to hit people," said Dr. Daniella David, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. "People need to ask for help when that happens."
In the immediate short-term period after a large-scale traumatic event, people are concerned primarily with self-preservation and taking care of family and friends, said Dr. Sandro Galea, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. These people experience acute stress and anxiety, which is taken up by trying to fulfill the immediate physical needs.
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Haiti has the potential for higher rates of mental illness and a slower recovery after this episode because the population is already strained from weak social and economic supports, Galea said. In those conditions, they may already be predisposed to developing mental illness irrespective of the earthquake itself, he said.
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"Rebuilding lives, rebuilding social supports, rebuilding financial and practical supports will go a long way to minimizing the health consequences of the event that has passed," he said.
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Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russell Honor?, who led relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, said Thursday that a lack of information "created a lot of anxiety for people because they didn't know what was going on."
"We need to correct that, and as soon as we can, start pushing information to people, because rumors can cause the victims to make bad decisions," he said.
January 15, 2010 8:42 a.m. EST
(CNN) -- As Haitians struggle to recover from the devastation of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, mental health experts caution that the most severe psychological effects won't take form until individuals' situations stabilize.
Feelings of confusion, fear, agitation, grief and anger that surround a large-scale traumatic event such as the Haiti earthquake give way to more pronounced psychological disorders once people's basic human needs are taken care of, experts say.
"Once the initial resources are in, when actually most people are going to start feel out of danger, is when the psychological aftereffects are going to hit people," said Dr. Daniella David, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. "People need to ask for help when that happens."
In the immediate short-term period after a large-scale traumatic event, people are concerned primarily with self-preservation and taking care of family and friends, said Dr. Sandro Galea, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. These people experience acute stress and anxiety, which is taken up by trying to fulfill the immediate physical needs.
?.
Haiti has the potential for higher rates of mental illness and a slower recovery after this episode because the population is already strained from weak social and economic supports, Galea said. In those conditions, they may already be predisposed to developing mental illness irrespective of the earthquake itself, he said.
?
"Rebuilding lives, rebuilding social supports, rebuilding financial and practical supports will go a long way to minimizing the health consequences of the event that has passed," he said.
?
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russell Honor?, who led relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, said Thursday that a lack of information "created a lot of anxiety for people because they didn't know what was going on."
"We need to correct that, and as soon as we can, start pushing information to people, because rumors can cause the victims to make bad decisions," he said.
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