Study: People standing tall after Katrina

[funkybutt]

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1157009827225860.xml&coll=1

Survivors report drop in suicidal thoughts

WASHINGTON -- While Hurricane Katrina took a toll on the mental health of many people along the Gulf Coast, a new study suggests it might also have revealed an "inner strength" in storm survivors.

A survey of 1,043 hurricane survivors from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama found a higher rate of mental illness after last year's storm. But it also detected fewer suicidal tendencies even among those in distress, which researchers attributed to a newfound sense of purpose, religious faith and renewed ties to family brought to the surface by the disaster.

"A great many survivors of Katrina are, understandably, depressed by their losses and anxious about their future," four academic researchers wrote in a paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. "However, the suicidality often associated with those syndromes in the general population is much lower among people in the post-Katrina sample who were able to develop a belief in their ability to rebuild their life and a perception of inner strength in the wake of the hurricane."

*It's nice to be able to post something positive* :hi:

[HeeBGBz]

1. That which does not kill us

Makes us stronger. Maybe so, but I still feel like a noodle.