At Duke University, data from a massive mental health survey of the community affected by a water crisis in Flint, Michigan, uncovered lingering PTSD.
The data derived from a survey of Flint residents showed that one in five adults was purported to suffer from an affective disorder and one in four suffer from PTSD, five years after the environmental disaster.
The study was first publicized in JAMA.
What researchers determined: “These findings suggest that public-works environmental disasters have large-scale, long-term psychological sequelae.”
“The Flint community may require expanded mental health services to meet continued psychiatric need. National disaster preparedness and response programs should consider psychiatric outcomes.”
The findings were published online on September 20th, 2022.
