Prevalence of tsunami-related PTSD and MDD in Thailand

Abstract

Much has been written on the devasting effects of the 2004 tsunami in general but no report has reviewed the epidemiological data concerning major psychiatric disorders in Thai survivors. Therefore, this article aims to review the prevalence of tsunami-related mental disorders, especially posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). The data came from searching PUBMED and unindexed journals, and also from contacting researchers or authors. The prevalence of PTSD and PTSD symptoms varied from 6.3% to 13% while the prevalence of MDD and depressive symptoms varied from 1.1% to 30%. The rate of PTSD in affected students in two schools was 57.3% at 6 weeks but decreased to 7.6% at 2 years after the disaster. The rate of PTSD in children and PTSD symptoms in adults decreased over time, while MDD in children did not, and the depressive symptoms in adults showed a modest decrease at 9 months of follow-up. It is rather difficult to compare data from these reports as methodologies and reference sources of population from these studies were quite different. Therefore, further research on this topic, including protective factors, has been recommended.