The Impact of the Chi-Chi Earthquake on the Incidence of Hospitalizations for Schizophrenia and on Concomitant Hospital Choice

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a catastrophic earthquake on the incidence of hospitalizations for schizophrenia, and on the choice of hospitals for patients thus hospitalized, using a quasi-experimental design. Results demonstrated post-catastrophe increases in the incidence of hospitalizations for schizophrenia by 11.0 and 21.6% in the first and second year after the disaster, respectively. Among index hospitalizations for schizophrenia, the earthquake was associated with decreases in the use of teaching and public hospitals. For patients with schizophrenia, aggravation of symptoms and the likelihood of being crowded out of the use of health care services by those with other physical or mental illnesses after a catastrophe warrant our attention.

Cognitive function and clinical symptoms in first‐episode psychosis and chronic schizophrenia before and after the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake

“…In this regard, it should be noted that previous research has mainly investigated psychological changes after disasters, in a retrospective manner. [3][4][5] Although based on a small number of subjects, the results of this study support the existence of significant differences in the impact exerted by a natural disaster in terms of clinical symptoms and cognitive functions in patients with FEP compared with those with CS. Taken together, our findings suggest that -within the spectrum of schizophrenia -adequate psychiatric interventions after an earthquake should be chiefly directed at reducing the negative mental health impact among FEP patients who survived the tragedy.…”

“…However, this study was meaningful because it compared clinical symptoms and cognitive functions before and after the earthquake based on data collected prior to the disaster. In this regard, it should be noted that previous research has mainly investigated psychological changes after disasters, in a retrospective manner 3–5 …”

“…Interestingly, higher levels of avoidance coping predicted higher residual stress symptoms at follow‐up in patients with schizophrenia 3 . Tseng et al 4 . have recently reported a substantially increased incidence of index hospitalizations for schizophrenia following the catastrophic earthquake that struck the main island of Taiwan in 1999.…”

The impact of the Great East Japan earthquake on mandatory psychiatric emergency hospitalizations in Tokyo: a retrospective observational study

“…29, 30, 31 Although a limited number of studies have focused on this topic, it is reported that earthquakes had the biggest psychological effect on patients with schizophrenia compared with those with bipolar disorder and with the healthy population. 29 In addition, it has been reported that patients with schizophrenia had a reduced coping capacity, and one study that compared patients with schizophrenia, affective disorder and anxiety disorder reported that the patients with schizophrenia showed a higher severity of illness after the earthquake.…”

“…30 In terms of hospitalizations, the number of patients with schizophrenia who were hospitalized was shown to increase after an earthquake. 31 A few studies have reported that 20–30% of psychotic patients took the September 11 attacks into their delusions. 32, 33 …”