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We're talking about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina this week on Healthwatch. Previously, we addressed how watching news coverage can be stressful even for adults and children away from the storm-affected area. But survivors of the hurricane have even more distress to deal with.
Patrick Tiner, an expert on stress and disasters at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says sleeplessness and emotional outbursts are common in the immediate aftermath of such a traumatic experience. If distress continues for months to the point that a person can't function, that could be a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mental health volunteers, including Mr. Tiner, are working with hurricane survivors at shelters, but evacuees who didn't go to shelters may not get this help. It's important for the people around them to watch out for them. Symptoms to look for include sleeplessness, irritability, nightmares and emotional outbursts.
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September 2005
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