Mental Health and Katrina

It's imperative that we create a national health system that more adequately provides for our country's mental health. No where is this more important than in disaster areas, where the effects of a natural disaster linger for years in the form of PTSD.

Thankfully our state government is doing something:

The $89 million package of bills authorize creation of crisis centers and eventually permanent mental health centers that will provide continuous care, make it easier to commit dangerous patients, and allow teleconferencing counseling sessions in the state. The bills provide funding statewide, but the bulk will be spent in the New Orleans area.

This really hits home for me, because my mother is one of the leading disaster/recovery mental-health researchers. I did a lot of psychological interviews in the New Orleans area, and it's incredible what these children have been through. I talked with children that had been shot at, stabbed, seen relatives die, and abused. Truly horrific things.