Mental Health in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: Problems & Policy

Abstract

When Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast in 2005, it left in its wake more than just the physical destruction of homes and businesses. Extensive post-Katrina research reveals that – like other large natural disasters – the hurricane greatly affected the mental health of its victim population. The overall national governmental response to Katrina has been heavily criticized, specifically by the mental health community. This paper seeks to articulate some of these inadequacies and offer some policy lessons that may be learned from Katrina. First, the nature of the problems associated with disaster mental health and the unmet needs of those affected by Katrina will be discussed. This will be followed by a review of the empirical research on the prevalence of mental illness and the inadequacy of treatment following the storm. Potential policy alternatives – and the available research on the efficacy of such reforms – will then be examined, followed by concluding recommendations for future disasters. Although there may never be another event identical to Hurricane Katrina, the lessons it provides are essential to the improvement of disaster mental health response policy in the future.