Abstract
To report on the diagnosis of and pharmacological services provided to 229 evacuees of Hurricane Harvey housed within a large convention center. Retrospective chart review of services rendered. Evacuees were primarily adults who presented with varied diagnoses, most commonly mood, anxiety and/or psychotic disorders. There was significant need for medications and psychosocial support to address preexisting conditions, as well as emerging problems (e.g., insomnia). Individuals presenting for pharmacological services following natural disasters may require medications to continue ongoing care, and/or treatment for insomnia. Therapists can provide direct intervention as well as identify those in need of further evaluation/intervention. Providers should be prepared with a fully stocked pharmacy, accessible but confidential location, and a pre-established method of record keeping.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barnes, T. R. (2011). Evidence-based guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 25(5), 567–620. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881110391123.
Boscarino, J. A., Galea, S., Ahern, J., Resnick, H., & Vlahov, D. (2003). Psychiatric medication use among Manhattan residents following the World Trade Center disaster. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 16(3), 301–306. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1023708410513.
Broz, D., Levin, E. C., Mucha, A. P., Pelzel, D., Wong, W., Persky, V. W., & Hershow, R. C. (2009). Lessons learned from Chicago’s emergency response to mass evacuations caused by Hurricane Katrina. American Journal of Public Health, 99(8), 1496–1504. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2007.126680.
Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2017). Historic disaster response to hurricane harvey in Texas. Retrieved from, https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/09/22/historic-disaster-response-hurricane-harvey-texas.
Ghosh, T. S., Patnaik, J. L., & Vogt, R. L. (2007). Rapid needs assessment among Hurricane Katrina evacuees in metro-Denver. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 18(2), 362–368. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2007.0030.
Goldberg, J. F., Freeman, M. P., Balon, R., Citrome, L., Thase, M. E., Kane, J. M., & Fava, M. (2015). The American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacolgy survey of psychopharmacologists’ practice patterns for the treatment of mood disorders. Depression and Anxiety, 32(8), 605–613. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22378.
Guina, J., Rossetter, S. R., De, R. B., Nahhas, R. W., & Welton, R. S. (2015). Benzodiazepines for PTSD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Psychiatr Pract, 21(4), 281–303. https://doi.org/10.1097/pra.0000000000000091.
Holder, N., Suris, A., Hooliday, R., & North, C. S. (2017). Principles of mental health interveniton for survivors of major disasters. Psychiatric Annals, 47, 124–127. https://doi.org/10.3928/00485713-20170202-01. doi.
North, C. S. (2010). A tale of two studies of two disasters: comparing psychosocial responses to disaster among Oklahoma City bombing survivors and Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Rehabilitation Psychology, 55(3), 241–246. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020119.
North, C. S., King, R. V., Fowler, R. L., Kucmierz, R., Wade, J. D., Hogan, D., & Carlo, J. T. (2015). Delivery of mental health care in a large disaster shelter. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 9(4), 423–429. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2015.63.
North, C. S., King, R. V., Fowler, R. L., Polatin, P., Smith, R. P., LaGrone, A., & Pepe, P. (2008). Psychiatric disorders among transported hurricane evacuees: Acute-phase findings in a large receiving shelter site. Psychiatric Annals (38), 104–113.
North, C. S., & Pfefferbaum, B. (2013). Mental health response to community disasters: A systematic reivew. Clinicial Review and Education, 310, 507–518. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.107799.
Oser, M., Shah, S. B., & Gitlin, D. (2015). Psychiatry department response to the Boston Marathon bombings within a level-1 trauma center. Harvard Review of Psychiatry. 23(3).
Wang, P. S., Gruber, M. J., Powers, R. E., Schoenbaum, M., Speier, A. H., Wells, K. B., & Kessler, R. C. (2007). Mental health service use among hurricane Katrina survivors in the eight months after the disaster. Psychiatric Services, 58(11), 1403–1411. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2007.58.11.1403.
Wang, P. S., Gruber, M. J., Powers, R. E., Schoenbaum, M., Speier, A. H., Wells, K. B., & Kessler, R. C. (2008). Disruption of existing mental health treatments and failure to initiate new treatment after Hurricane Katrina. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(1), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07030502.
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the contribution of Sandra Cepeda.
Funding
Dr. Storch has received research support from NIH and All Children’s Hospital Research Foundation and royalties from Wiley, Elsevier, American Psychological Association, Springer, and Lawrence Erlbaum. He is a consultant for Levo Therapeutics. Dr. Goodman has received research funding from NIH, the Simons Foundation, and Biohaven Pharmaceuticals. The other authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Storch, E.A., Shah, A., Salloum, A. et al. Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications for Hurricane Harvey Sheltered Evacuees. Community Ment Health J 55, 1099–1102 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00378-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00378-9