PTSD 10 Times More Common In New Orleans

People in New Orleans who went through Hurricane Katrina are 10 times more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder than the general population, according to a researcher there.

Diagnosis: What Is PTSD?

Dr. Lisa Mills of Louisiana State University at New Orleans said that PTSD was diagnosed in more than 38 percent of patients at a temporary emergency room there.

PTSD is normally thought to affect 3.6 percent of the general population. A news release did not state the prevalance of PTSD in emergency rooms in other parts of the country.

Other researchers said in a news release that the finding shows that long-term mental health care will need to be aprt of the ongoing response to the destruction from Hurricane Katrina.