A Review of Psychopharmacological Interventions Post-Disaster to Prevent Psychiatric Sequelae

Background

Disasters are mega-scale catastrophic events which cause trauma and mental health sequelae. A review of early pharmacological interventions for the prevention of psychiatric disorders following disasters is sorely needed.

Methods

A literature search of “Psychiatric Sequelae AND Disasters”, “Disaster mental health/Disaster psychiatry”, “Psychotropics AND Disasters”, and “Drug therapy AND Disasters” yielded 213 articles, 38 of which were included in the review.

Results

Common post-disaster psychiatric conditions are: posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders and medically-unexplained psychological symptoms. Early psychopharmacological interventions to prevent PTSD provide promising evidence for hydrocortisone in medically ill trauma populations. Less robust benefits were noted for other pharmacological interventions. No reported trials have explored prevention of depression or other common post-disaster psychiatric conditions.

Conclusion

Hydrocortisone shows promise in preventing and reducing the psychiatric sequelae of PTSD following disasters. Further evaluation of hydrocortisone and other potentially beneficial psychopharmacological interventions are needed.