Neuropsychiatric Complications in Victims of Boston's Cocoanut Grove Disaster

Adler, Alexandra

doi:10.1001/jama.1943.02840520014004

Cited by 159 publications

(56 citation statements)

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“…The field of disaster mental health has strong roots in research on the mental health consequences of war, specifically stemming from the experiences of World War I, World War II, and the Holocaust (61). Disaster mental health research has evolved over the years, beginning with studies in the 1940s of the symptoms and management of acute grief and other neuropsychological symptoms among those who had suffered the loss of a loved one and among victims of the Cocoanut Grove night club fire (1,39). In 1950, Tyhurst (66) coined the term "disaster syndrome" as the period right after a disaster when exposed persons are "dazed, stunned, unaware, frozen, or wandering aimlessly," symptoms that can affect up to 20-25% of those exposed and generally resolve with time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Consequences of Disasters

Goldmann

Galea

2014

Annu. Rev. Public Health

832

824

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We present in this review the current state of disaster mental health research. In particular, we provide an overview of research on the presentation, burden, correlates, and treatment of mental disorders following disasters. We also describe challenges to studying the mental health consequences of disasters and discuss the limitations in current methodologies. Finally, we offer directions for future disaster mental health research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Consequences of Disasters

Goldmann

Galea

2014

Annu. Rev. Public Health

832

824

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“…Follow-up studies of veterans of World War II showed that many people still suffered from episodes of 'black-outs' or loss of explicit memory (Archibald and Tuddenham, 1965). Also in civilians, for instance the survivors of the Boston's Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, memory related 'posttraumatic complications' have been identified (Adler, 1943).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are the neural substrates of memory the final common pathway in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Elzinga

Bremner

2002

Journal of Affective Disorders

425

277

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A model for the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a disorder of memory is presented drawing both on psychological and neurobiological data. Evidence on intrusive memories and deficits in declarative memory function in PTSD-patients is reviewed in relation to three brain areas that are involved in memory functioning and the stress response: the hippocampus, amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex. Neurobiological studies have shown that the noradrenergic stress-system is involved in enhanced encoding of emotional memories, sensitization, and fear conditioning, by way of its effects on the amygdala. Chronic stress also affects the hippocampus, a brain area involved in declarative memories, suggesting that hippocampal dysfunction may partly account for the deficits in declarative memory in PTSD-patients. Deficits in the medial prefrontal cortex, a structure that normally inhibits the amygdala, may further enhance the effects of the amygdala, thereby increasing the frequency and intensity of the traumatic memories. Thus, by way of its influence on these brain structures, exposure to severe stress may simultaneously result in strong emotional reactions and in difficulties to recall the emotional event. This model is also relevant for understanding the distinction between declarative and non-declarative memoryfunctions in processing trauma-related information in PTSD. Implications of our model are reviewed.

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“…Interest in the psychological aspects of burn patients first arose in response to the Coconut Grove Fire disaster in 1942 (Adler, 1943;Cobb & Lindemann, 1943). These reports, which were primarily based on interviews and observations, represented the first attempts to focus on the psychological reactions of burn victims and marked the beginning of a relatively sparse literature.…”

Section: Pain Mangement In Severely Burned Adults: a Test Of Stress Imentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These reports, which were primarily based on interviews and observations, represented the first attempts to focus on the psychological reactions of burn victims and marked the beginning of a relatively sparse literature. Adler (1943) studied 46 Coconut Grove victims for a period of 11 months. Observations and examination were initially conducted during the first 3 weeks of hospitalization and revealed that 26 patients presented psychiatric complications.…”

Section: Pain Mangement In Severely Burned Adults: a Test Of Stress Imentioning

confidence: 99%