Katrina victims cool to mental-health help

NEW ORLEANS, April 30 (UPI) -- Mental health advocates are urging a new push to provide psychiatric help for Louisiana residents still suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

A survey released Tuesday found that two-thirds of the residents surveyed in coastal Louisiana couldn't identify any of the resources available to Katrina survivors plagued with mental health issues.

"I don't think we're doing as good a job as we can at meeting communities where they are," said women's health advocate Ghairunisa Galeta.

The Times-Picayune, a New Orleans newspaper, said professionals meeting Tuesday in New Orleans noted that mental healthcare still has a stigma in the region; however it was proposed that teaming up with faith-based groups and other trusted organizations might be effective.

The survey also found that while two-thirds of respondents agreed that the 2005 storm impacted the overall mental health of their communities, 41 percent said that while the storm may have effected them they saw no need for counseling.

The survey conducted on behalf of Pfizer, Research!America and Tulane and Louisiana State Universities polled 800 adults. The margin of error was 3.5 percentage points.