The road home: Returning to pre-Katrina homes during episodes of psychosis

Gayle Pletsch, Christopher Rodgman, Elizabeth Leimbach, Kelly Erwin, Janet Johnson

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, New York, USA.
Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, New Orleans, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ojpsych.2013.31001                

Abstract

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating event to New Orleans. There was a mandatory evacuation of the city during which victims in affected areas were not allowed to return for months. Many residents were unable to return to their previous residence due to the destruction of their home or change in ownership. In its aftermath, a phenomenon of displaced residents becoming psychotic and returning to their pre-Katrina homes that they no longer owned became apartment. While the clinical ramifications of these behaviors remain unclear, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy monitoring of psychotic patients for similar behaviors may be warranted. We present two such cases of this phenomenon, colloquially called “Post-Katrina Syndrome” by psychiatrists in the New Orleans area.

Keywords

Hurricane Katrina; Psychosis; PTSD; Dissociative Fugue

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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