Suicide after Natural Disasters

Background Among the victims of floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes, there is an increased prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, which are risk factors for suicidal thinking. We conducted this study to determine whether natural disasters affect suicide rates. Methods From a list of all the events declared by the U.S. government to be federal disasters between 1982 and 1989, we selected the 377 counties that had each been affected by a single natural disaster during that period. We collected data on suicides during the 36 months before and the 48 months after the disaster and aligned the data around the month of the disaster. Pooled rates were calculated according to the type of disaster. Comparisons were made between the suicide rates before and those after disasters in the affected counties and in the entire United States. Results Suicide rates increased in the four years after floods by 13.8 percent, from 12.1 to 13.8 per 100,000 (P<0.001); in the two years after hurricanes by 31....