Reaction of Patients in the Psychiatric Out-patientDepartment to Floods in 1997

Summary

The author examined 115 patients treated within two months after the exten-sive floods in 1997. The group comprised 47.8 % patients with schizophrenia.33.0 % with affective disorders and 19.2 % with other diagnoses. 13% weredirectly affected by the floods however, only one third reported deteriorationof the health status, 5.2 % were hospitalized. The health status of anotherthird of the patients did not deteriorate, but they perceived the floods veryintensely, and the health status of the last third did not deteriorate and theirattitude to the floods was indifferent. During the investigation period therewere fewer hospital admissions than in other years and no attempted suici-des and suicides were recorded. There were no reactions to severe stress (F43). The author offers a possible explanation. The diagnostic structure of thegroup and use of psychopharmaceutical drugs may have influenced a largepercentage of people not affected by the floods, or they were affected withoutsuffering a deterioration of the health status. The absence of suicidal activiti-es may have been caused by the development of positive attitudes of indivi-duals towards themselves and others as a result of the extensive disaster.

Key words:
floods, reaction to stress, suicide, ambulatory conditions.