Among persons living in areas affected by Hurricanes
Katrina or Rita, adults forced from their homes for
2 weeks or longer were much more likely to report mental
health and substance abuse problems than those who were
not displaced, according to a recent report from SAMHSA’s
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
Past-month illicit drug use was reported by 10.5 percent
of adults displaced for 2 weeks or longer compared to
4.9 percent for those who had not been dislocated. Similarly,
25.7 percent of those experiencing prolonged dislocation
suffered from serious psychological distress compared
to 9.2 percent of those adults who were not forced from
their homes.
