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Mental Health Problems following the 2005 Earthquake in Kashmir: Findings of Community-Run Clinics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Rakesh Kumar Chadda ,
Anil Malhotra ,
Nanaji Kaw ,
Jaspreet Singh  and
Hem Sethi
Rakesh Kumar Chadda*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India
Anil Malhotra
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Nanaji Kaw
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India
Jaspreet Singh
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Hem Sethi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India
*
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India E-mail: drrakeshchadda@hotmail.com
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Abstract

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Introduction:

Events such as earthquakes are followed by significant psychiatric morbidity due to the enormous damage caused to life, health, property, and other resources in the affected area. In October 2005, a devastating earthquake occurred in Kashmir in India. A team of mental health professionals visited the earthquake stricken area to provide mental health services five weeks after of the event.

Methods:

The team conducted clinics at >30 sites in different villages in the area. This paper describes the mental health problems encountered in those communities.

Results:

All patients seen in the clinics had their houses destroyed by the earthquake.Nearly one-fourth had suffered serious physical injuries and 12% had lost one of their family members. Common psychiatric diagnoses included adjustment disorders (39.6%), depressive episode (22.6%), and other stress disorders (21.8 %). Only 10 (3.3%) patients were found to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), though PTSD-like symptoms were reported by more than two-thirds of the patients.

Conclusions:

Adjustment disorders, depression, other stress reactions, and PTSD-like symptoms were the common mental health problems five to six weeks following an earthquake.

Keywords

disasterearthquakesIndiaKashmirmental health problemsposttraumatic stress disorder
Type
Brief Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 22 , Issue 6 , December 2007 , pp. 541 - 545
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2007

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