The Brisbane floods, January 1974: their impact on health

Abstract

In the 12 months following the Brisbane flood of 1974, 234 flooded families (695 persons) and 163 non-flooded families (507 persons) were interviewed to ascertain changes in health status. We found that the number of visits to general practitioners, hospitals and specialists were all significantly increased for flooded persons in the year following the flood. Persistent psychological symptoms, which included irritability, nervous tension and depressed mood, predominated in those seeking medical care, and the consumption of sleeping tablets and psychotropic drugs rose. Increased psychological symptoms were significantly more common in female than in male flood victims and significantly more common in both sexes than increased physical complaints. There was no increase in mortality after the flood. The incidence of psychiatric symptoms was directly related to dissatisfaction with help received.