BP Oil Spill, BP Oil Spill Cleanup Workers BLOG POST
PTSD and Behavioral Health in the Gulf
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a collection of debilitating symptoms caused by exposure to a highly traumatic event. Most recognized cases of PTSD are related to wartime experiences or other personal trauma, such as rape, a house fire or witnessing a fatal accident. Many years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon spilled 200 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, residents are still suffering the effects — some of them from PTSD.
In a recent report prepared by the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ) and presented to the Department of Health and Human Services, a survey of Gulf residents indicates a significant decline in quality of life, which is often associated with PTSD. Loss of resources (such as the massive destruction of seafood, the Gulf’s main source of income) is a strong indicator for severe depression and anxiety, two of PTSD’s main components. The study suggests that the overall behavioral health of Gulf residents is poor, and it is predicted to decline further in the years to come.
Increase in substance abuse disorders and domestic violence
Paige Rucker, state director of Project Rebound — an organization focused on supporting Gulf residents who suffer from personal, financial and emotional stress — has confirmed that health services, clinics and mental health facilities in the Gulf report a notable increase in drug and alcohol abuse. Incidents of domestic violence requiring police intervention have risen, and calls to suicide hotlines are unprecedented. These indicators reveal just how hopeless and helpless Gulf residents feel and the methods some use to seek relief from constant personal and economic stress.
“Available data suggests that the psychological aftermath of an oil spill will necessitate the need for mental health and substance abuse services for up to five years,” said Rucker.
Project Rebound’s website now indicates that the program is closing its services as of December 2013.
Similar patterns of devastating traumatic illness have been seen in Thailand, Japan and other affected areas of Southeast Asia in the years following the Tsunami. While a natural disaster leaves victims with no one to blame, that is not so for the Deepwater Horizon spill.
The Downs Law Group helps residents of the Gulf collect monetary compensation for illness and injury suffered from the oil spill. Contact our offices to find out how we can help you.
