Study shows more Hurricane Katrina survivors contemplate suicide

Associated Press - August 22, 2007 3:23 AM ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The longer it takes to recover from Hurricane Katrina, the more Gulf Coast residents are suffering post-traumatic stress or even thinking seriously about suicide.

That's the conclusion of a survey by the Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group.

The survey is a follow-up to one done six months after the hurricane. It shows that eight percent of people in the New Orleans area have contemplated suicide. That's nearly triple the rate right after the storm.

A psychologist says the underlying optimism in the months after the storm has worn thin. The earlier report had warned about that possibility if rebuilding didn't keep pace with expectations.

And the recovery has been agonizingly slow, especially in New Orleans. In addition to losses due directly to the hurricane, such problems as violent crime and poor schools have added to the distress.

Original article here.

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