Reaction to Severe Stress and Adjustment Disorders After the September 2017 Earthquakes in a Psychiatric Emergency Department in Mexico City

Abstract

ObjectiveEarthquakes may lead to a reaction to severe stress and adjustment disorders (RSSAD). On September 7, 19, and 23, 2017, Mexico was struck by many severe earthquakes. The aim of this study was to examine whether there was an increase in the number of consultations and RSSAD in a psychiatric emergency department in Mexico City after these earthquakes.MethodsWe studied retrospectively the diagnosis and triage assessment from a Mexican psychiatric emergency department database from September 1 to November 30, 2017, and analyzed RSSAD and the number of consultations after the earthquakes.ResultsA total of 1,811 psychiatric emergency consultations were registered from the period of study. A total of 141 consultations represented RSSAD. There was a significant increase of RSSAD after the September 23, 2017, earthquake. The triage assessment revealed that the urgency of the consultations was higher immediately after the earthquakes.ConclusionNatural disasters, such as earthquakes, may trigger diverse RSSAD leading to increased emergency consultations, especially when those disasters are repetitive. Mental health professionals should be adequately trained and sensitized for possible acute disaster victims. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:686–690).

Response to “New tobacco products, a threat for tobacco control and public health of Mexico

“…Dear Editor: The position article by Reynales-Shigematsu and colleagues 1 on the public health impact in Mexico of combustion-free electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) fails to present a balanced overview of the risk-benefit ratio of these new technologies, grossly misrepresents the existing evidence, and ignores the broad consensus that these products are much less harmful than cigarettes. [2][3][4] The work cited by the authors (references 8-21) on exposure risks from e-cigarette aerosol emissions report misleading results that do not reflect normal conditions of use.…”