Assessing the Serious Mental Illness of Katrina Affected Parishes in Louisiana: Results from the K6 scale as applied in the 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey

The damage and disruption caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita has dramatically impacted the state of mental health in Louisiana. Results of the 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey have indicated that the need for behavioral health services has exceeded the existing system capacity in the wake of the storm. This survey assessed parish-level prevalence of serious mental illness (SMI) in the Greater New Orleans area using the K6 screening scale for psychological distress. Initial analysis indicates SMI prevalence levels are elevated compared with the norm, and are consistent with those found in populations that have recently been affected by traumatic events such as large-scale natural disasters. In Orleans Parish, 16.3% of respondents met criteria for serious mental illness, in Jefferson Parish, 8.3%, in Plaquemines Parish, 10.5% and in Saint Bernard Parish, 18.6%. Within this environment, access to mental health treatment is critically limited, particularly for the uninsured and those with Medicaid coverage. Lessons learned through a coalition of key mental health stakeholders in the region will be discussed, including policy initiatives and transformation of service delivery systems. In addition, detailed profile breakdowns and results of further analysis assessing the applicability of these findings to the general population in the affected region will be presented. Results will assist policy-makers in making resource allocation decisions and advance preparedness efforts to assist in future disasters.