Study: New Orleans PTSD rate high

NEW ORLEANS, May 17 (UPI) -- Post-traumatic stress disorder has been diagnosed in more than 38 percent of people who came to an interim hospital facility in New Orleans.

This is more than 10 times higher than the 3.6 percent prevalence in the general U.S. population, according to Dr. Lisa D. Mills of Louisiana State University at New Orleans.

Loss of a loved one and simply staying in New Orleans during the storm were associated with PTSD symptoms, Mills said.

The magnitude and duration of even a single mental healthcare diagnosis after this disaster demonstrates the need for long-term, coordinated mental health response as part of disaster relief -- interim or temporary mental health response is not adequate for this population, according to the researchers.

The findings are scheduled to be presented Friday at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine annual meeting in Chicago.